A Beautiful Mess
by EvelynMM
Summary: Tides they turn and hearts disfigure but that's no concern when we're wounded together - and we tore our dresses and stained our shirts but it's nice today, the wait was worth it. - A Beautiful Mess by Jason Mraz - Slight AU Lux & Eric!
1. Chapter 1

"Here's your change, sir."

"Thanks." Eric muttered as he accepted the coins, picking up his coffee and making his way out of the busy café.

He still didn't fully understand why he was back in Portland. The time he had spent trying to forget and move on was so counterproductive it was almost comical. His feeble attempts to somehow alter that which was true to him would be laughable if they weren't so completely erroneous.

_There was only one right in this world, and she was completely wrong._

Grabbing for the door, Eric nearly lost his balance as a young woman rushed past him. He swung his steaming cup of coffee just in time to avoid contact, apologizing.

"I wasn't paying attention, I'm sorry."

"No problem." Eric cursed himself, recognizing the voice. "Eric?"

_This was a joke. A huge, cosmic joke._

"Tasha. Hey, how have you been?" Eric asked, almost impatiently.

"I've been good." Tasha stated, fidgeting from the incredible awkwardness as she looked around the small café. The pathway to the door was becoming congested with the afternoon rush.

Rolling her eyes, Tasha grabbed Eric's arm, stalking off to claim the only empty booth at the back of the small building. Tossing her purse into the seat she sat down, motioning for Eric to follow.

To say Eric didn't want to be here, talking to Tasha, was a huge understatement. He wanted to get out as fast as he could and never look back. He wanted to run.

He sat down.

"So have you had anymore problems with…" Eric started as he fished for something to say.

_Wrong topic_! Eric's mind screamed, instantly regretting the words that fell like lead weights out of his mouth.

Tasha quickly spoke up, stopping him from going any further. "No, no more problems since then. I do want to thank you again for the gift you gave me."

Eric laughed sadly, remembering the day Tasha had returned to her apartment, scared yet determined to overcome her fears. He flinched; willing, no begging the memories to go away.

He hated remembering.

"It really did make me feel safer, you know. That was really thoughtful." Tasha whispered, her eyes searching his face for something.

Eric shrugged. If only, he thought, this could all end right here and now. But he knew better.

"Come on!" Tasha exclaimed louder, exasperation clouding her face. "Aren't you going to ask me about her?"

Eric's bite his lip, questioning yet knowing exactly what she was talking about.

"Lux! Aren't you going to ask me about her?" She repeated, annoyed.

"No." Eric said with a single shake of his head. Defiant.

"Does she know you're back in town?"

"No."

"Why not?" Tasha hissed, tired of the run around Eric was giving her.

"Because, I don't want her to know I'm back." Stunned, Tasha watched as Eric stood quickly and walked out of the café.

||MONTHS EARLIER||

"You're sure Jones doesn't mind giving us a ride back to Cate's?" Lux asked as she and Tasha walked slowly down the hallway, heading towards the parking lot in search of Tasha's boyfriend.

"Nah, he said it was cool. If only we could find him!" Tasha exclaimed as they pushed through the heavy double doors, squinting at the onslaught of the sun. Both girls shielded their eyes against the bright light as they scanned the nearly empty lot, easily finding Jones's jeep, but no Jones.

"Babe, over here!" Lux and Tasha turned quickly towards the distant voice. Jones stood at the edge of the old basketball court waving frantically to get their attention.

Tasha shrugged her shoulders as the two made their way to the court, Jones racing towards them. Ducking down to kiss Tasha in greeting, Jones pulled back, apologizing for the delay.

"It was too nice out so we took gym outside. Me and the guys played a game against a few of the teachers. Everyone else left so I figured I'd wait for you out here…but then I got sidetracked. Mr. Daniels hung back for a little one-on-one." Jones exclaimed as the girls looked down the court where they saw Eric taking practice shots, not paying attention to the small group.

"Would it totally suck to wait while we finish this last game?" Jones asked, pleading with the girls as he started backing up towards the court, pulling at the bottom of Tasha's jacket as he motioned for Lux to follow.

_Well this could get awkward!_

Tasha questioned Lux silently, making their way towards the court. As they got closer, Eric turned when he heard them approaching, quickly stopping when he saw Lux.

"We were getting ready to begin the tie-breaker," Jones started, absentmindedly tugging at the end of Tasha's hair with a laugh as she punched him playfully in the arm. His eyes grew wide with a sudden thought, smiling wildly at the girls. "Let's do teams! Come on."

"I don't know…I'm really not that good and…" Lux sputtered.

"Come on, Lux. You're so much better then when you started, just remember what we showed you. It's just a game, no pressure." Jones practically begged.

_Yea, no pressure at all!_

Baze had recruited Jones and Tasha in his quest to help Lux learn the sport better once he started coaching the girls team with Math. She had gotten better, but that was beside the point. This just seemed a little, too much.

Lux looked to Eric for help, but he simply smiled back, amused as she fumbled to get out of the game. Tasha was no help, either, as she was focused on Jones, the challenge of beating him hanging heavy in the air.

"Boys against girls?" Jones inquired, smugly, to no one in particular.

"I'm in." Eric smiled wickedly as he grabbed the collar of his hoodie to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

The weather was exceptionally nice for mid-January, requiring only a jacket or sweater to stay warm. Lux appraised the warn jeans and University of Minnesota hoodie Eric was wearing, a nice respite from the dress shirts and ties she usually saw him in.

Lux followed Tasha, reluctantly dropping her bag in to the grass, questioned how she could possibly get out of this.

_How could she possibly balk out of the game without looking like a loser?_

Taking their positions on the court, Jones naturally went to guard Tasha, excited to play with his girlfriend in a sport they both loved.

Lux stood awkwardly next to Eric. "What's going on?" She hissed behind the fake smile she had plastered on her face.

_This could be disastrous on so many levels._

"Not my fault. You're usually gone by now." He couldn't have known this would happen, Lux realizes, cursing Jones and his totally inopportune timing.

The game started as everything ran rather routinely at first, but after a while, Tasha and Jones became so focused on outplaying eachother, it was hard for Eric or Lux to get into the game.

Tasha executed a clean layup as Jones grabbed the ball and tossed it towards her quickly setting back up, crouching in front of her, his eyes focused on her every move. When Tasha saw no opening of her own, she passed the ball to Lux. Eric watched as Lux dribbled the ball, keeping it tight and guarded as she backed towards him. It was hard to stay focused as they came in to contact in an almost torturous symphony of movements. Reaching around her, Lux could feel his breath on her neck; hear his breathing in her ear, as she begged herself to not drop the ball in front of everyone.

_This was maddening._

When she found a quick opening, Lux shot the ball through the air as it bounced once off the rim before swooshing in.

_How was she actually better when he was distracting her so mercilessly._

Eric took a quick drink from a water bottle before tossing one to each of them. Tasha and Jones quickly returned to the court, wagering bets and punishments depending on the outcome of the game, happily consumed in each other's presence.

When the game resumed, Eric had the ball, dribbling confidently as Lux crouched in front of him, staring him down. A playful smirk formed at the corner of her mouth as she matched him step for step. She almost had him, but before Lux had a chance to realize what had happened, Eric spun around her, passing the ball to back to Jones.

Returning to stand beside Lux as they watched Tasha and Jones battle over the ball, Eric leaned in "I missed you."

It had been a few days since she was able to see him outside of school, outside of their tutoring sessions. Lux smiled broadly. All he had to do was look at her in his way, or simply talk to her, and she got butterflies in her stomach.

"I'll come by later. I think I feel the need to go for a run tonight."

As Tasha danced around Jones, searching for the perfect opportunity to shoot the ball, Lux and Eric remained focused in case they were needed for the assist. Well, almost focused.

"I'm liking this competitive side of you." Eric whispered, leaning in slightly. Just enough to make Lux draw a mental blank for a split second.

Tasha looked quickly to Lux.

"Maybe we could do a little one on one of our own?" Lux whispered sweetly as she moved suddenly, catching the ball in mid air. "Later tonight!"

Eric couldn't feel his legs.

Lux glided around Eric effortlessly, planting her feet on the ground, the ball sailing cleanly through the net. Eric remained in place, shaking his head in amusement as he realized what Lux had just pulled over on him.

Lux laughed wildly as Tasha called the game, running over and tackling her best friend in a giant hug.

Looking over Tasha's shoulder, Lux couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for messing with him like that, before quickly relishing in the triumph

_That'll teach him to mess with me next time._


	2. Chapter 2

Walking on air. That was the only way Lux could explain the feelings she had at this particular moment. As she locked the front door to Cate's house, it was as if her feet never even touched the ground.

Eric had called a couple hours before to see if Lux could get away for the evening and as Cate and Ryan were at the station, she was free and clear. When she asked what the plans were, Eric would only tell her that it was a surprise but that they would finally be able to go out and have some fun.

Pulling her cell phone out of her pocket, Lux couldn't wait to tell her best friend and enlist a little help on the off chance anyone got curious. Pressing number one on speed dial, Lux crossed the street, marveling at the beautiful weather; very uncommon this time of year.

"Hey chick, what's up?"

"Hey Tash! Best friend, partner in crime; I have a favor to ask of you." Lux exclaimed, barely able to contain her excitement.

"This never ends well. Let's have it!" Tasha said, hesitation in her voice.

"I need you to cover for me tonight."

"Now what?"

"Eric's taking me out somewhere, but he won't tell me where we are going. It's a surprise!" Lux practically squealed in to the phone as she made her way past the gas station, then down a small alleyway.

"What if your parent's call…or what if they come over here, expecting us both to be here and finding that we are short one blond."

_Since when had Tasha become such a worrier? She was always the one who was willing to push her luck with just about anything._

"Cate and Ryan are at the station working on promotional campaign ideas for the show and Baze is over at Emma's so no one will be showing up. But on the off-chance someone actually calls, I told them that we were going to hang out and then go see a movie." Reaching a busy intersection, Lux leaned against the crosswalk pole.

Maybe it was a little too cold not to wear a heavier jacket, but Lux had wanted to look nice and a bulky jacket did not a pretty picture make.

"What if they ask what movie we saw?"

The light signaled for her to continue, looking both ways, Lux hurried across the crosswalk, pulling her blazer tightly around her.

"Make one up. Come on Tasha, you've always been the queen of lying. Are you going soft on me all of a sudden?" Lux was starting to take offense to her friend's negativity. Why was she all of a sudden so against breaking a few rules?

"It's not that Lux, I just really don't like this. And I really don't like lying to everyone about what is going on." There was clear aggravation in Tasha's voice now.

Lux was only a few blocks from Eric's apartment; the busy streets were starting to give way to the small neighboring town. Sensing this conversation was heading in a different direction then she had hoped, Lux sat down on a nearby bench.

"Come on, Tash, you used to cover for me all the time. Besides, it's just a date – we used to do a lot worse together and we always had each other's back." Lux and Tasha had been inseparable since they met that night at Sunnyvale. They had fought together and lied together – it was their thing.

"That was different and you know it. We didn't have then what we do now, don't you get that? We have the chance for the first time in our lives to be normal, and you're acting like we used to when we were at Sunnyvale."

Lux didn't like remembering Sunnyvale, or the foster homes that she had lived in, but she couldn't exactly forget them, either. Truth be told, Lux was jealous of how easily Tasha had settled in to a "normal" life once she came back this last time. Lux had been at Westmonte for months before Tasha showed up and she was lucky to have Jones and a few of his buddies to talk to. Tasha showed up and suddenly she was the star of the girl's basketball team, she was dating the popular quarterback, she had even managed to be voted onto the Homecoming court.

Lux could count her friends on one hand, and still have room to spare.

But she just couldn't help that she sucked at "normal" and in all honesty, she didn't see the appeal to being a normal kid, anyways.

"What if I don't want to be normal? I spent nearly 16 years not being normal so excuse me if I don't feel like hanging out at the bowling alley, eating pizza with the kids from our school on a Friday night; the only worries on my mind being whether or not someone is wearing the same jeans as me. That's really just not who I am, and I really thought if anyone would understand that, it would be you!"

"Don't try to make me feel bad for acting my own age. You're almost 17, Lux, not 20, not 23 like Mr. Daniels. This thing between you guys can only end one way, and it's really bad, especially for him. He could go to jail if someone else found out about you guys." Tasha stressed.

"You don't think we know that? Believe me we know what can happen but we also can't help how we feel, either. I finally found someone who challenges me and cares about me…Did Bug ever treat me this way when he managed to even stick around? He never pushed me or himself for that matter, to do better. Tash, he wanted the four of us to run away, for me and you to quit school and basically go on the run but the first time things got too real for him, he bailed. See, this is what I don't understand; you pushed me to be with Bug, even after he left that first time. Remember? Jones brought me out to your foster home that day and you told me to take that phone number even after I said I wasn't sure if I wanted it. So what, Jones is good enough for you now but was he too good for me back then? Is Bug as good as I should ever get? A lot of people think so…do you?"

Lux couldn't believe how quickly this conversation had gone from bad to worse. This was really not like them to fight like this, but she couldn't ignore that the frequency ramped up after Tasha found out about her and Eric. She knew that what she was doing was viewed as being wrong, but she really thought that Tasha would be able to look past that and see it for what it really was.

"Lux, I never said that. I never really understood how Bug was until after he left the last time. But it's not fair to ask me to do this. To lie to the people who are helping me, and the only family I've ever had."

Lux did know how much it upset Tasha to lie for her, but she didn't know what else to do. Not being with Eric wasn't an option. She did understand how hard it was for Tasha to be stuck in the middle, but she also couldn't help that it did still upset her when Tasha was less then supportive.

"I guess it is unfair for me to expect you'd have my back when I really needed you. But don't worry, I won't make that mistake again." Jumping up from the bench, Lux angrily stalked off in the direction of Eric's apartment. She really didn't want to be in a bad mood when she got there.

"Lux wait…I'll tell them you are with me if they call, ok? Just, please be careful, alright?"

Why did it suddenly feel like a weight had been pressed against her chest.

Shame was something Lux had grown accustomed to feeling in her past. There was a lot she had felt ashamed about, but she couldn't shake the feeling of shame she felt at that moment. She wasn't ashamed for wanting to be with Eric, but, she realized, she was ashamed at how poorly she was treating her best friend.

She would make it up to her, Lux resolved as she whispered her thanks to Tasha, her hurried gate slowing down considerably as she hung up the phone. She would enjoy tonight and come tomorrow; she would do whatever it took to make it up to Tasha and try to repair some of the damage she had committed to their friendship.

"Please just tell me we are not going to some island, again! That was really not a high point for us." The door to Eric's apartment was no sooner opened before the blonde rushed through, a virtual blur of nervousness and slight irritation.

Closing the door, Eric shook his head in amusement as he grabbed on to Lux's shoulders, forcing her to stand still, her body humming with uncertainty. The last time they had attempted to go on a "date" it had ended horribly and nearly broke them up. He was determined to correct that mistake.

"No islands and no missed ferry boats this time around. I'm not about to open that can of worms for a second time." Eric promised as he took note of her outfit.

Relieved by his admission, Lux noticed him eyeing her clothes. "What?"

"I probably should have mentioned that it's going to be a little cold where we are going." Eric stated, running his hand down the arm of the blazer Lux had picked out specifically for the night.

"You don't like? I wasn't sure if I should go dressy or comfortable so I opted for a little of each." After hours of tossing clothes over every surface of her room, Lux had finally settled on a nice pair of dark washed jeans, a glittery top Cate had given her and her trusted black blazer that fit perfectly.

_Cute yet sophisticated_. At least that is what she thought at the time. Now she wasn't so sure. Was she underdressed? Overdressed? What?

"No, I like." Eric said with an appreciative grin. "Like I said, it's just going to be a little cold, and this outfit, while I like it very much, will not be comfortable or warm."

"Well, I can run back home. Cate's isn't that far way, I could be back in a half an hour." Lux shrugged as she headed for the door.

Eric reached for her hand. "You don't have to go all the way back to Cate's just to change your shirt. I'll be right back."

Eric disappeared down a small hallway before returning within a few minutes, carrying a faded University of Minnesota hoodie. Lux recognized it as the one he had been wearing last week during their basketball game with Jones and Tasha. "It's clean, I swear." He laughed as he tossed it to Lux.

Pulling her hair in to a quick bun, Eric slipped behind her to help her out of her blazer before she started to pull the sweatshirt on. "Hold up! What happened to your shoulder?"

_Damnit! How could I have forgotten._

"Oh, it's nothing." Lux exclaimed in a hurry as she pulled the sweater down and quickly pulled her hair out of it's confining tie, allowing it to fall over her shoulders.

"Lux, that's not nothing. Those scars are pretty rough, what happened? Were you in a wreck or something?" Eric asked as he turned Lux around, his eyes a mixture of concern and sympathy.

_She hated sympathy._

"Yea, I was in a car accident when I was younger. I covered my head before we hit but the glass still cut my shoulder up pretty badly. No big deal."

_Please just take that explanation. This can't ruin our night; please don't let it ruin tonight!_

"Is that why you are always wearing sweaters and blazers? You're always layered, but I just figured it was a statement thing." Relieved that he seemed to accept her story at face value, Lux took a deep breath.

_That was too close._

"You know, less questions if no one sees them." Lux said with a nod desperately wanting to change the subject. "So where are we going?"

Grinning, Eric shook his head, the previous subject leaving his mind. "I told you, it's a surprise." Reaching for Lux's hand, they walked in to the hallway as he locked the door behind him, with what looked to be a heavy bag flung over his shoulder.

"Can I get one hint?" Lux pleaded, wrapping her arm around his, glad catastrophe had been avoided.

Eric shook his head; Lux pretended to pout for good measure.

"You know, I must say; you look good in my sweater. Maroon and gold suits you." Eric smiled, pulling Lux in to his side as he kissed her temple lightly.

Lux rolled her eyes. "Yea right, I'm practically swimming in this thing." She laughed as she held her arms up to emphasize how large the sweatshirt was on her small frame.

"I don't know, Eeyore, it's a good look." Eric laughed as they made their way out of the apartment building.

It took thirty minutes to arrive at their destination.

"A skating rink? We could do anything in the world, and you want to go skating?" Lux asked incredulously.

"Have you ever actually gone skating before?"

"On pavement, with wheels. Not on ice with knives strapped to a pair of poorly fitting boots." Lux was clearly nervous.

_This was exactly how I wanted to spend the afternoon with him. Falling on my ass. Great!_

Sensing her insecurities, Eric tried to calm her fears. "I'm pretty familiar with the ice; I used to play a little hockey back home and I taught a youth hockey team for a couple years. I've taught quite a few people how to skate."

"Oh great, you're comparing me to your youth kids?" Lux groaned as her head fell back against the seat dramatically.

Eric got out of the truck, grabbed his bag and went to the passenger side door, opening it. "Come on, you're going to be just fine. Remember when I tried to teach you how to swim? You didn't drown did you?"

"That is what qualifies you as a good teacher, because you didn't kill me in the process?" Eric laughed at her statement; he could tell that Lux was warming to the idea and not nearly as reserved as she led on to be.

Looking around, Lux noticed that the parking lot was empty, save for Eric's truck.

"A buddy I know manages this rink; I rented it out for the night, so it's just you and me." Dangling a key in the air, Eric unlocked the door, waiting for Lux to go in. When they entered the second set of door, Lux was struck with the odd mixture of smells that hit her all at once. Pizza, ice, and feet.

The lights were all on and the rink was massively bigger then Lux figured it would be. It was completely intimidating. Eric squeezed her hand, silently assuring her, as he led them over to a wooden bench just off the ice.

Eric sat down the bag he had brought along from his apartment as he unzipped it and started pulling out random objects. "Provisions."

"Good lord, it's like a magician's bag in there. Are you going to pull out a large floor lamp or something?" Lux asked as she peaked in the bag, noting what he was taking out of the cavernous sack.

A blanket, some knee pads – she assumed for herself – a large, heavy pair of black skates that had definitely been worn in, and a smaller pair of white skates that looked brand new.

"For me?" Lux asked, amazed at the amount of thought that Eric had put in to this trip.

"Of course." Eric stated. "Did you think we were going to have to hunt down a pair of busted up skates from the back room?"

"I actually hadn't thought about it, but I didn't think you would buy me a pair of brand new skates. How did you know my size?" Lux asked

"That part was actually pretty tricky. You can't exactly go in and say 'I need skates that are this big'" Eric laughed as he motioned with his hands. "Lucky for me, you have a tendency of forgetting things at my place. I swear I find a different floppy hat of yours every other day. Remember a few weeks back when it was raining so you wore your rain boots but brought your shoes?" Lux nodded. "Well, when you left, you forgot your shoes so I was able to figure out what size you were."

"I can't believe you went through all of this for our date." Lux whispered as she looked around, fully appreciating for the first time the magnitude of what putting this night together really entailed. No one had ever done this much for her before.

Lux rose from the bench and wrapped her arms around Eric's waist, her head resting on his chest as she silently thanked whoever was responsible for bringing them together. More and more, she was becoming a big fan of fate and all it could bring to a person's life. Fate had managed to come through for her during a time when, even if she hadn't realized it then, she really needed the intervention.

"Well. Let's see how you feel once you've hit the ice a couple times." Eric said, smiling against her hair as he hugged her tighter to him.

"I thought you weren't going to teach me how to skate, not fall?"

"Well, I can't promise you won't fall, but if you fall, I fall so we'll figure it out together." Lux liked the bigger meaning behind his words. Together was all she wanted. She was willing to fall if it meant falling with him.

"Alright, let's do this." Lux said excitedly as she pulled away from Eric, heading back to the bench to get ready. Eric was constantly pushing her to try new things and she was ready and willing to experience anything he threw at her.

"Wait, wait, wait, don't let go!" Lux squealed, grabbing frantically for Eric's hands on her hips desperately trying not to lose her balance. They had been skating, well more like walking and falling, for the past hour and a half, but Lux was starting to get the hang of at least remaining upright.

"I'm not letting go." Eric tried to say through uncontrollable laughter as he guided her from behind, making sure to keep a clear distance so her feet wouldn't get caught up with his. "Lock your ankles or your feet will bow outwards. That's it, push off with your feet. Great, now I'm going to let go, but I'm right behind you, ok?"

"Ok!" Lux exclaimed, focusing every ounce of energy she had on remaining vertical. Eric's hands slowly let go of her waist as she tried to talk herself through the motions. Gliding along the ice, she remembered to push off at an angle to keep her momentum; she was quite successful at first until her feet seemed to grow a mind of their own. "Not ok, not ok. Eric, help!"

Waving her arm behind her, trying to make contact, Lux turned her head slightly to find Eric, almost losing her balance completely with the sudden movement. Eric quickly caught her before she went down, steadying her against him. Stopping them both, Lux turned to face him as he locked his fingers behind her back.

"I bet your wishing you were with that youth group right about now, huh? They'd put me to shame." Lux laughed, her cheeks and nose red from the cold. Eric pinned a strand of her hair behind her ear with his gloved finger.

"Are you kidding? And miss all of this, no way!" Securing his grip, Eric started skating backwards, pulling Lux with him as he slowly made their way off the ice, helping her up on to the carpeted floor.

Lux plopped down on to the bench, exhausted; pulling the blanket Eric had brought over her legs. "You used to do this all the time?" Lux asked as Eric nodded. "I don't know how you did it, my feet are killing me. You very well might be responsible for carrying me around for a while."

Lux rotated her ankles trying to stifle the soreness.

Lifting her feet on to his lap, Eric's fingers made quick work of unfastening the criss-crossed web of laces that traveled the length of the skates. He gently slipped the skates off before he went to work massaging her feet.

Lux felt like she was going to pass out from how good it felt.

"This isn't even right." Lux moaned softly, his hands working to loosen up the tension in her ankles.

Eric silently worked on her feet for a few minutes. "So did we finally manage to go out on a successful date?"

"Well, I am definitely going to be sore from all the falling, that's for sure." Lux grinned, scooting closer to Eric so she could wrap her arms around his neck. With a quick kiss, she continued. "But this was definitely better then our first date. I still can't believe you did all of this just so we could get out for a bit."

"I just wish I could do more, because you deserve so much more then anything I can give you right now." Eric sighed, his eyes dark; pained at the circumstances they'd found themselves trapped by.

"Stop that. Stop beating yourself up over the things we can't control." Lux whispered as she traced her finger along his jaw, noticing how he had the habit of biting his lip when he was unsure. Her thumb ran lightly over his bottom lip before she kissed him, wanting to remove every doubt he might have.

Lux maneuvered her way on to Eric's lap, tempting her luck when he didn't push her away, his hands falling down her back to rest on her hips. Deepening the kiss, all the emotions of the day culminating in her attempt to show him how much she loved what he had done for her today. His hand tangled in her hair as he broke away from the kiss, if only somewhat.

"We need to stop," he breathed heavily, yet making no other move to end the torturous contact. "We REALLY need to stop."

Lux pulled away slightly, kissing the corner of his mouth as he rambled on about them needing to take it easy. His hands found her hips again, but this time he gently removed her from his lap, positioning her beside him, his hand lingering on her leg.

Lux knew he was right, but that didn't mean she agreed with it. Kissing his neck once more, she slowly pulled away, resting her forehead against his.

"You, my dear, will absolutely be the death of me, mark my words." Eric exhaled deeply as he closed his eyes, trying to regain his composure…and his sanity.


	3. Chapter 3

One year ago today; exactly 365 days before, Lux was navigating the treacherous waters of life, having just been reunited with her birth parents in her quest towards emancipation and subsequent freedom.

She had failed, epically, that was for sure.

Yet, in hindsight, Lux was thankful for that particular failure. Today was her birthday. 17 years ago, on January 18th, she had been given up for adoption for what her mother had hoped would be a better life.

One year ago, she had finally gotten her wish.

Cate and Baze had been strong-armed in to parental no-man's land while Lux had been forced to live, not on her own per her plans, but with two strangers who were the sole reason for her entire existence.

The first few months had been extremely rough, but they found themselves slowly getting used to each other in a new way that both delighted and confused them at the same time. Her mother was neurotic and slightly narcissistic while her father was charmingly clueless and immature.

The three of them, they soon found, were absolutely perfect together.

Every fault and every crack became a battle wound and every fight became the next stepping stone in their path to growing up together; as a family.

Walking though the giant double doors to her schools entrance, Lux couldn't help but smile at how much her parents really had grown up in the last year. Ryan was, in many ways, her rock because no matter what went down between him and Cate, Lux knew he would always be there for her. And no matter what was going on with Baze and Cate, Ryan was the stability she often clung to when it felt as though everything was being turned upside down.

Cate had probably gone through the most tumultuous journey in the last year with her job fluctuations as well as becoming pregnant, rather unwillingly, but she now seemed at peace with the way things had worked out for her and somehow brought her and Ryan back together.

Baze, on the other hand; he was the ultimate wild card. A womanizing, aimless bachelor in the beginning, he had transformed in to a relatively successful business man and was currently holding down a rather serious relationship; both foreign accomplishments that were increasingly becoming more and more natural to him.

Lux was pulled out of her thoughts when her cell phone began to ring. Grabbing for it quickly, Lux looked around to make sure no one had heard it as cell phone were expressly forbidden in school. She finally reached her locker, leaning against it, her phone sandwiched between her ear and her shoulder, digging in her bag for a book she hoped she hadn't forgotten.

"Hey, Jones! Thanks, how did everything go last night? She didn't figure out anything, did she? Ok good, I'm glad…don't worry about it, I'm glad everything worked out, thanks for the update. See ya later."

Cate was up to something and she was definitely planning some kind of surprise for Lux's birthday; of this, Lux was sure. But she had no clue what was going on, only that she had pulled Tasha out of school today to help her prepare. Something that was very unlike Cate, so Lux knew it would probably be elaborate.

_Not fair! Why does Tasha get to skip school on my birthday?_

Shrugging her shoulders, Lux twisted her combination lock back and forth, laughing to herself at the distinct possibility that right about now, Tasha was probably begging to be in school instead.

Opening the door, Lux jumped back slightly when she found 2 foreign objects in her locker that she was positive were not there the day before. Grinning wildly, Lux picked up the large Eeyore stuffed animal that hung precariously on a top hook, a card resting between its arms. The card depicted a gorgeous beach just before sunset, two palm trees lazily perched in the corner; the only wording inside read: "I'll Make It Happen – Happy Birthday"

Shaking her head in amazement, Lux looked from side to side, hoping she could catch a glimpse of Eric in the hallways; but no such luck. She had 5 minutes before the first bell rang – not enough time to actually see him.

Pulling her phone back out of her pocket she began typing away, begging the bell to show her a little compassion.

"_You could get in serious trouble for breaking in to my locker like that. PS: I love the gifts."_

Pressing send, Lux quickly pulled the books she needed for her first few classes and made her way quickly to Math's class.

Her phone buzzed in alert.

"_If that's all the trouble I would get in, you might have found me in there instead. My room – lunch?"_

It's amazing what they could get away with if they laid a few books around; the amount of time they could spend together during the tedious hours of the day was quite remarkable.

Typing her last message, she made her way to her desk, as everyone else was busy talking about the previous night's adventures, not giving Lux's presence a second thought.

"_You in my locker – hilarious and oddly sexy! I'll be there."_

Tucking her phone in her pocket, Lux had a feeling the next 4 hours would positively drag on at a snail's pace.

Alas, she had been right.

Yet finally, 11:45am arrived and Lux made her way to her favorite room in the large school.

Peeking in to the room, Lux smiled when she spotted him. Leaning against the book cabinet, Eric had one book in his hand, another opened beside him as he marked various notes back and forth between the two novels. Lux made her way in, the door softly clicking shut behind her.

Eric looked up, smiling. This was the smile that Lux liked best; the one that reached all the way to his eyes. She had first seen it when they were at the billboard that first night and she was pretty sure that was the exact moment she started falling for him. Placing the smaller book on to the counter, he pushed himself away from the bookcase.

As he stepped aside, Lux's breath caught when she noticed the small cupcake with a single candle in the middle, its flame dancing brightly.

"Eric, this is…" A whisper was all she could manage at the moment.

"It's just a cupcake." He shrugged sheepishly. "I know your family's having some sort of thing for you tonight, probably with a much bigger, better tasting cake…and I knew this would probably be the only chance I got, so I improvised."

"It's perfect." If ever there was a time when Lux wanted to just throw caution to the wind and bury herself in his arms, it was now. She wanted to kiss him and show him exactly how much he meant to her.

She would have to settle for the cautious distance they always maintained. The achingly infuriating distance that taunted her mercilessly during times like these.

Walking over to the counter where the cupcake stood, Lux blew out the candle, simply wishing that this feeling would never end. Facing Eric, she silently pleaded for some sort of contact, something to calm her anxious nerves and she could tell he was wrestling with the same foolish notion.

With a glance around the room, Eric pulled the cabinet door open, shielding them almost completely from the outside world. Backing up against the counter as he stepped towards her, Lux inhaled sharply when he leaned against her, slowly; his free arm snaking around her waist, his lips finding hers in a movement that felt entirely too good.

Refusing to open her eyes, Lux couldn't help but wonder if this was all just a dream. A really GOOD dream.

He kissed the side of her mouth his lips blazing a trail to her cheek.

"Happy Birthday." His whisper sent hot air careening down her neck and chills down her spine.

Lux placed her hand gently to his chest, trying to summon every ounce of willpower she had to clear her head. If Eric wished to keep his job, and she wished to keep her sanity, they needed to break away now.

Eric stepped back, smiling victoriously, as he shut the cabinet door. Lux pulled herself up on to the cabinet, nearly out of breath and reached for her cupcake…anything to distract her from the wicked man who seemed to delight in destroying her good senses.

Their time during lunch, as it always did, ended far too quickly as Lux left the room in a hurry. She wouldn't be able to see him at all the rest of the day as her day was completely allotted to whatever shenanigans Cate had planned.

The rest of the day was about as uneventful as the first half. Jones had dutifully hung out with her during gym, a comfortable friendship that Lux cherished for its lack of drama. She was glad that they had managed to remain friends after all she had put him through, first with Bug, and then when she started seeing Eric, though Jones had no clue about the latter.

Baze was waiting for Lux when school ended, vaguely warning her about the state of chaos he had left Cate in to pick her up. He wouldn't reveal any details, but Lux found that she was equally dreading and anticipating what was in store for her. Her last birthday had been rushed together, very last minute, and yet it was one of the happiest days of her life. With more time and planning, Lux could only guess to what Cate had come up with this time.

Walking through the front door, Lux couldn't contain the laughter that rang loudly through the house as everyone yelled "Happy Birthday" as she took in her surroundings. Streamers and balloons were strung from one end of the house to the other with a giant banner hanging in the hallway proclaiming this to be a 90s themed party. A disco ball hung from the living room ceiling as some techno-pop song blasted from the radio; the kitchen table was inundated with a large cake in the center and various gifts piled on either side.

But the best part – in all it's absurd glory – was Cate's outfit.

A large New Kids on the Block t-shirt stretched over her growing belly, gave way to black tights with lace that ran up both legs. Her hair was pulled to the side in a messy ponytail, her feet weighed down by the large Doc Martin shoes she was wearing.

"Are you kidding me?" Lux laughed as she looked to Tasha to make sure this wasn't some horribly, hilarious dream.

Cate jumped forward as she ran to Lux, enveloping her in a tight hug. "Ok, you have to let me explain."

"I'm all ears."

"Well, I was trying to figure out what to do for your birthday and Baze mentioned that we should make up for lost time, which gave me this idea. The 90s were pretty horrible, but in the best of ways, so I wanted to give you the 90s birthday you probably never got growing up. You're not mad are you? You're not going to, like, smother me in my sleep for torturing you?" Pulling away to judge her daughters reaction, Cate was relieved when it appeared that Lux actually seemed to be enjoying things so far.

This had been a huge leap of faith, as Cate had worried that Lux would hate the idea.

"Cate, calm down. I love it. I really do." Lux was surprised when she realized that she wasn't simply lying to avoid hurting her mother's feelings. She honestly liked the idea.

"Awesome, so as you can see, even though I asked everyone else to dress decade appropriate, I was the only one who did." Cate stated as she rolled her eyes towards Ryan, Baze, and Math.

"Hey, I dressed up!" Baze declared as he pointed to the "Jesus Is My Homeboy" trucker hat on his head.

"It doesn't count if you wear it all the time." Cate shot back, trying to suppress a smile when he placed his hand to his heart, faking a hurt expression.

"Hey, don't make me bust a move up in here, because I will." Baze said in a serious tone as he went to the radio and pressed a few buttons before the song "Bust A Move" started playing.

"Come on, that's just pathetic!" Ryan laughed. "Like you got any moves to bust."

"Actually, when we were in high school, he was pretty good." Math ventured in to the conversation.

"See! Thanks Math." Baze exclaimed as he clapped his friend on the back.

"Yea, he used to practice in his bedroom in front of the mirror all the time. He thought it would help him get more girls." It took everything Math had to keep a straight face while everyone started laughing as Baze became increasingly embarrassed at his friend's admission.

"Ok, that's enough. Though that isn't quite how I remember it, but that was years ago and we were all young." Baze trailed off until he was barely whispering the last part before he regained his thoughts. "The point IS, I was good."

"Anyways…" Cate said loudly, getting everyone's attention. "Before we are treated to a live version of Soul Train, let's get down to business."

"Cake first, or presents?" Tasha asked as she turned to Lux, dramatically.

"PRESENTS!" Baze and Math yelled in unison as Lux shook her head in agreement, her sides hurting from laughing too much to even attempt to speak at the moment.

The group made their way to the kitchen table as Lux realized that some of the gifts weren't wrapped, but were unfamiliar to her non-the-less.

"Again, I'll explain." Cate interjected as she held her hands out apologetically. "We each wanted to give you a little bit of what the 90s meant to us, since we, unfortunately, lived through it. So we found some of our favorite items, but don't worry, there are actual presents at the end. We aren't that cruel."

"Sounds great, who's first?" Lux asked anxiously as she scanned the table.

"ME!" Cate declared as she grabbed for her pile first, warning the others to back off. This was her moment to relive. "Ok, so when I was in school, only the cool kids had trapper keepers…unfortunately I was always about a year behind in the trends so by the time I got mine, which I LOVED by the way, everyone else had moved on. But I didn't care, so I'm giving you my very own, very beloved, Kirk Cameron trapper." With great fanfare, Cate presented the bulky item to Lux.

"No way, the one from you're mom's attic?" Lux asked as she ran her hand over the front, taking care not to smudge the lipstick stains.

"The one and only." Cate replied with a wink. "Gel pens were also very popular, but it is virtually impossible to find any good ones anymore, so after hours on the internet, I present to you…what is likely the last remaining original gel pens on the planet. Treat them well."

Lux looked to the guys, who simply stared back in feigned horror at how seriously Cate was taking all this. Tasha came over to stand beside Lux, examining the gel pens before she started drawing on her hand with them.

"Lastly, my mom had this weird fascination with collecting Beanie Babies for Abby and myself, and while I wasn't their biggest fan, there were a few I was fond of, so I kept them. Also, leg warmers were big back in the days of Jane Fonda, plus I know how you like to wear them on your arms so I found a few of those as well."

"Wow, thanks Cate." Cate beamed as Lux went to her and hugged her close; taking a moment to linger in her daughter's embrace. "I love it all."

"I'm next!" Baze practically shouted as he wove his way around Math and Ryan to stand beside Lux. Reaching in to his pile he pulled out two boxes. "BOOM! You can't have a party without Mousetrap and Battleship. No one could beat me at either game, and soon I will pass on my skills to you."

"Mousetrap? I remember that game…but how do you play it?" Ryan asked, grabbing the box to examine the setup.

"Umm, that I couldn't tell you, I always just set up the little maze thing and watched it trap the mouse at the end." Baze corrected awkwardly. "Moving on, I dug up my old Super Nintendo over at my parent's house and I am hooking this bad baby up at my place and we'll see who the master really is!"

"Really? The master of what? Little red and green Italian guys who fight dinosaurs? They should give out medals for that." Cate said as she rolled her eyes, looking to Lux and Tasha.

The two girls could only look to the adults in the room and laugh.

"They do, actually." Baze confirmed. "I also found an old t-shirt of mine that I loved. It's called a Hypercolor T-Shirt and it changes color with body heat…at least it used to, I don't know if there is a timestamp on that kind of stuff." Lifting the shirt up, Lux noted the odd orange color with the saying "Enjoy Mello Yello" on the front. "And, no kid of the 90s worth his weight in gold didn't like Beavis & Butthead. You, me, next weekend; the education begins."

Lux didn't have the heart to tell him that she has already seen pretty much every episode of the show. Though it was before her time, Lux had passed one horrible foster stay by sneaking in to the family room every night after everyone else had gone to sleep to watch her favorite show.

Thanking Baze, Lux noticed Cate's worried expression.

"Where's Ryan?" Cate asked, everyone noticing for the first time that Ryan was no where to be found.

At that moment, Ryan came flying in to the kitchen on a small scooter, holding some sort of stuffed animal, and wearing sun glasses.

_Bizarre!_

His grin was infectious as he presented his items. "All of these were actually mine, so treat them well. I give you Mr. Spuds Mackenzie, the original badass of all stuffed animals. Razor scooters may have come a little later in life for me, but they were awesome either way; besides I figure with all the running around you do, this might help you get places faster. And lastly, anyone who was cool back in the day owned a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses, so I thought, since you are one of the coolest kids I know, you needed a pair of your own." Ryan said as he carefully perched the glasses on Lux's ears. "See, they were made for you."

Pushing the glasses up on her head, Lux hugged Ryan, as she tried to wrap her mind around the events of the day.

Had you told her a year ago that she would have so many people who loved her enough to go out of their way to make her birthday as special as it had been, she would have laughed in your face.

A year ago, Lux never imagined that she would ever have one parent, let alone 3. Cate, Baze, and Ryan had managed to prove her wrong every time she doubted their intentions and sincerity.

Pushing her thoughts away, Lux looked back to the group as Cate spoke up. "Math, you're next."

"Ok, so no shock to anyone, I was a pretty big nerd during the 90s…"

"No, not you!" Baze laughed as Cate slapped his arm.

"Anyways, nerd that I was, I didn't think Dungeons and Dragons would be too appealing so I brought a rainbow koosh ball, pogs, and this…" Math grinned as he reached under the table and pulled out a large water gun. "The Super Soaker CPS 4100. This right here, was the only way I could beat Baze at anything."

"That's because you cheated!"

"How do you cheat with water guns?"

"At least I didn't have a rat tail!"

"At least I didn't have any gold-shiny hammer pants!"

"Dude, did he wear those when he practiced in front of the mirror?" Ryan asked, barely able to stand up straight from laughing so hard at the guys' heated conversation.

"Ok now! Now that our, possibly failed, trip down memory lane is over, how about we get to the real gifts." Cate said as she pushed the many wrapped boxes and cards towards Lux, anticipation evident all over her face.

Cate and Ryan got her a digital camera and a gift card to her favorite vintage store and Math had given her three tickets to an outdoor concert event Lux and Tasha had been talking about wanting to go see, but didn't think they could get tickets. He explained that a friend of his was a promoter for the show so he got the tickets with little problem; the third ticket was for Jones who could drive them there. After the last concert they had all gone to, he thought they might like to go where "us old folks" won't be anywhere near. Much to the chagrin and protest from the others.

Baze's gift was the gift of sober driving lessons. Realizing that the first time he had tried to teach Lux to drive was because he was too hung over to drive himself, he would now make that up to her. 3 months of driving lessons, at which time they would all go and pick her out a car of her own.

This was very appealing to Lux. She liked this idea very much!

Finally, it was Tasha's turn to give her gift.

To be honest, after the argument they had the other day, Lux was surprised that Tasha was even there. She had touted the line far too often where their friendship was concerned and she feared she might have caused irreparable damage.

Tasha had been quiet most of the night, a sign Lux wasn't sure was good or bad.

Carrying in a large box, Tasha placed it gently on the table and stepped back to allow Lux enough room to open it.

"Cate helped me!" She interjected, suddenly nervous as Cate placed her arm reassuringly around the young girl.

Removing the wrapping paper and lifting the lid, tears blurred Lux's vision as she stared in wonder at the picture before her. The picture was of both girls, very young, not long after they had met. They were sitting on the couch in the common room at Sunnyvale, not a whisper a space between them as their arms hung loosely around each other's shoulders; their smiles wide and genuine. The picture had been blown up and placed in a beautiful old ornate frame.

"Oh my god, Tasha, where did you get this?"

"I've had it for a while now and Cate helped me decide what to do with it. She took me to get it blown up and we found that frame at an antique shop."

Seeing the picture for the first time, Baze couldn't help but feel a little upset at the fact that this was the only picture of Lux when she was younger that he had ever seen. He'd never known his daughter to be much younger then she was right now; she would forever be 16 to him.

Math and Ryan, feeling somewhat out of place at the moment, started gathering the discarded wrapping paper and grabbed the plates and forks for the cake; attempting to keep themselves busy and out of the way.

"This is the most amazing gift." Lux whispered as she set it down on the table and wrapped her arms around her best friend. "Thank you!"

"You are very welcome." Tasha whispered back, her voice hitching as she attempted to tame the blonde's wild hair that seemed to cover her face.

"Who's ready for some cake?" Cate asked cautiously.

"ME!" Both girls laughed in unison as they pulled apart.

"So, we found out the sex of the baby a few days ago!" Cate stated proudly as her hand instinctively curved around the growing bump.

"What? Why am I finding this out now?" Lux exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise.

Cate looked to Ryan before returning her focus to Lux. "Well we wanted to wait and tell you on your birthday."

"Ok, so tell me!" Lux practically shouted as everyone else held their breath, even Ryan was anxious for their news to be said out loud.

"It's a girl!" Cate smiled wildly as she jumped up and down a little.

Lux looked to Ryan, realizing that the look he had at that moment, a look of pure joy, she had seen before; when he looked at her.

"Have you thought of any names?" Math asked.

"We've tossed a few around, but nothing has stuck…we're up for any suggestions." Ryan declared as he looked around the room.

"Saraffina?" Baze said as he started lighting the candles on the cake.

"Biblical hooker!" Cate vetoed.

"Ashley?" Math suggested.

"Too common."

"Priscilla?" Baze attempted a guess again, this time, gaining everyone's attention.

"Ewww."

"Aww man, I still really like Blueberry." Lux said as Baze finished lighting the candles and laughed loudly.

"We probably should stay away from fruit." Ryan said as he cut the lights.

Lux took a deep breath, making her second wish for the day before she blew out the candles; everyone around her clapping and shouting in exaggerated cheer.

"Wait, what about Bleu?" Cate suggested as the light came back on. You could almost see her mind wrapping that name around in her head as she looked to the others.

"That's actually not that bad…I kind of dig it!" Baze said as he tousled Lux's hair affectionately. "Way to go, kiddo."

"Bleu Cassidy Thomas?" Ryan threw out, looking to Cate for either confirmation or dejection.

"It's perfect!"

An hour later the cake was nearly destroyed, the gifts had been tested and everyone could barely move; their stomachs aching from the delightful mixture of too much food and too much laughter.

"I think I might have sent the Blueberry in to a sugar coma." Cate moaned as she smoothed her shirt over her belly.

"We're going to have to hire a chef just so the kid can experience food other than sweets and take-out." Ryan replied, leaning towards Cate, his hand nearly covering the still tiny mound, protectively.

Suddenly feeling the need to move around, Lux stood up quickly, pulling Tasha up with her. Making their way to the gifts, Tasha jumped on the scooter as they took turns sailing up and down the hallway, laughing hysterically.

"Well, as much fun as this has been, and I do mean that, I need to get back to the bar. I'm finally coming up on the end of the twenty grand I need to fix it up, so there is lots of work to be done to get it back up and running." Baze groaned as he pushed himself up off the couch.

"Once it's back up, we'll have the next station event there…help get business back up." Cate promised, Baze patting her head affectionately as he caught Lux before she made her turn near the front door.

"You coming out this weekend? Me and Math were thinking about heading up to the carnival by the pier, remember the one we went to when we had the eating contests?" Baze's eyes lit up at the memory.

"Dude, it's 'I', 'Math and I'…it's really not that hard." Math corrected as he approached the group, shaking his head.

"Dude, you're like the English police; Hooked on Phonics, which, by the way, does not work for everyone." Baze stated seriously as he looked back to the girls. "So, this weekend? Tasha, you coming? You'll regret it if you don't." Baze teased.

Lux looked to Tasha, who nodded enthusiastically. "Sounds good, we'll be there!"

Baze placed a quick kiss to both girls' forehead before following Math out the door.

Ryan, by now, was in the kitchen, trying to clean the mess that looked more like a bomb of wrapping paper and icing had gone off.

"Can someone help me up?" Cate whined as Lux and Tasha each took an arm, hoisting her up and out of the chair.

"So were these really your old clothes?" Tasha asked as she tugged lightly at Cate's shirt, the three making their way in to the kitchen.

"Every bit, though this shirt was actually a night dress that now fits like a regular t-shirt. Which, kind of makes me sad." Cate frowned as she stared at the mess in horror.

"Ok, where do we start?" Lux asked, clapping her hands together; surveying the damage. The small group simply looked around, contemplating the very real possibility of simply leaving the mess to be cleaned later…like tomorrow, later.

"I got this. If you girls can manage getting all the gifts up to your room since you are staying the night, Tasha, and Cate, you go put your feet up, I'll have this place cleaned in no time." When it looked as though Lux might protest, Ryan held a hand up firmly. "I mean it, go!"

"You don't have to tell me twice." Cate exclaimed as she kissed his cheek, followed by both girls, before quickly scurrying off to their bedroom.

"Are you sure?" Lux asked once more as she and Tasha gathered all the gifts in their arms.

"Absolutely." Ryan confirmed, his smile wide; happier then Lux had seen him in a long time.

"If you say so."

The girls made their way up the stairs to the attic, dumping the items on the floor as soon as possible before pulling the stairway closed for added privacy. Though it was fairly early, their exhaustion from the day pulled them towards the bed as soon as they had changed in to their pajamas.

"So, how did the date go with Jones last night?" Lux had been dying to see how it went but had yet to have the opportunity to get her best friends alone.

"It was amazing…though I suspect you already knew that." Tasha stated as she raised an eyebrow at Lux, a smile dancing on her lips.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lux asked, feigning offense.

"Oh come on, don't act like you didn't help him plan the whole thing."

"I have no idea what you are talking about!" Lux avoided eye contact as she tossed the Koosh Ball Math had gotten her around, distracting her.

"Yea ok. Anyways, it was the most amazing night, Lux. He picked me up and we went back to his place…his parents were out for the night and he had the table set up and even cooked the meal himself."

"Really? What did he cook?"

"Cheeseburgers." Tasha exclaimed with a deep laugh. When Lux looked at her incredulously, Tasha tossed a pillow at her friend. "Shut up, it was cute. He was so proud that they were even edible. He mentioned that he thought about making spaghetti, but the last time he had tried, he completely burned the noodles. I told him it was probably a good thing since it would all be a little too "Lady and the Tramp" and since that is one of my favs, he couldn't ruin that moment for me!"

"That's too good. I can totally see that." Lux laughed as she tossed the colorful ball to her friend.

"But you know what gave him away? How I knew that you had helped him?"

"What?" Lux was curious as to exactly what had given her away.

"The flowers. When we got back to his house, there was a big bouquet of the most beautiful Irises on the table. I've never told him that those were my favorite, so I figure he either had really good luck as most guys go straight for the roses, or you told him." Tasha exclaimed as she looked to Lux for confirmation to what she already knew.

"Ok, fine. I helped him!" Lux said playfully. "But don't be mad. He called me about a week or so ago and said he wanted to do something special for you but wasn't sure what you liked. His intentions were good, he was just fumbling with the execution."

Besides the times he had tried with Lux, it was probably safe to say that Jones hadn't put a lot of effort in to his previous relationships, and Lux found his eagerness endearing.

"I'm not mad at all. Hell, the most any guy ever did for me before was when Gavin gave me that broken necklace he had stolen from that old woman. He never even fixed it." Tasha laughed as she recalled the rather disheartening memory.

"Yea we sure knew how to pick them, huh?" Lux sighed, saddened by that particular thought.

"No kidding, when Jones opened my door and pulled my seat out for me, I almost didn't know what was going on. I guess chivalry isn't completely dead. So did you have any hand in getting those concert tickets? I didn't even know we were going to a concert until he pulled out the tickets. I thought he didn't even know who The Shaky Hands were."

Jones had claimed to like the group on their first "date" but Lux had quickly realized that it was all a set up on Baze's part. Jones had never even heard of the group.

"Cate came through on that one; the station gets tickets all the time to pass out and give away. And no, he wasn't too familiar, but I think he started studying up on them once I mentioned that you liked them."

"Well thank you." Tasha smiled sheepishly as she burrowed under the covers.

"You're welcome. I just wanted to help in any way I could because I don't like how things have been between us lately and for the first time since…well ever, I don't really know how to fix things."

The idea of them slowly drifting apart was upsetting, but Lux was relieved to see that, for the most part, Tasha didn't completely hate her.

"Lux, its not that I don't like Mr. Daniels, but you have to try to see this from my perspective. While I do see how he has been really good for you in a lot of ways, there is so much bad that can come from this, and not just for you and him. For me as well." Tasha warned as she pulled herself up on to her elbows, twisting a piece of thread between her fingers nervously.

"I promise I won't let anything happen to you if all of this goes down; I will take full responsibility. I really do understand how precarious a situation this is and that at any moment it can all crumble down around me and Eric, but I just can't make myself let go. I'm past that point and I will take responsibility, completely. I just…I've never been so happy before, and I think that is why I wanted to help Jones, because I wanted you to be just as happy as I am."

While Tasha questioned her friends rationale and ways of justifying her actions, she knew one thing would always be true. Those two girls in the picture needed each other then, and they still needed each other now.

"Lux, you know I love you, and you know, no matter what, I've got your back." Tasha explained as she laid back down, gauging her best friends face as to what her reaction to what she was about to say might be. "But please, and I know I keep saying this, but just be careful because this has the potential to be harder hitting than anyone could ever predict."


	4. Chapter 4

**I just want to give a quick thanks to everyone that has read this story and/or left reviews! It means so much to me. This is my first story on and to say I have been nervous would be the understatement of the century, but each and every review has made me feel so much better about it.**

**I absolutely have to give the biggest shout-out and virtual hug to Cassie who has been my sanity in all of this and with whom this story would never have been possible without her. She helped me take 4 incredibly random scenes I had literally dreamed up and turn it in to something I am really proud of. And I cannot wait until she starts posting the story she has been working on…you are all going to be blown away…and yes it's a Lux/Eric fic!**

**Lastly, I am open to any questions about this story or any suggestions you might have. I am extremely flexible and if your ideas can be worked in, I am all for it. Even little details you would like to see - send them my way. I'm going to stop rambling now, but please don't hesitate to let me know what you think and I really hope you enjoy this chapter. There are BIG things to come with our favorite duo as I have lots of goodies planned out already.**

**HAPPY EARLY NEW YEARS**

**Have lots of fun and be safe!**

"Ok, this next test involves interpreting a poem and sonnet of your choice. Have you decided which ones you want to do?" Eric asked, not looking up from the papers he quickly shuffled in his hands.

"Yes, Sylvia Plath's "Daddy" and Shakespeare's sonnet 20." Though she was sure in her selection, Lux still found herself extremely nervous. Eric had presented her with many different options that he thought would both suit and challenge her, and they had worked to narrow down the selection.

He had been interested to see which one's she would pick.

"Good choice!" Eric stated, a satisfied smile working the corners of his mouth. "We've discussed both in-depth but with the test being tomorrow, let's go over them one more time."

With an exaggerated groan, Lux pulled herself up in the chair and sifted around the many papers in front of her before Eric glanced briefly at the table and found the two instantly. Handing them to Lux, she couldn't help the heat that rose to her cheeks.

She also couldn't help the involuntary way in which her breath caught and her chest seemed to tighten when their eyes locked. He had a way of doing that to her, more often then she would ever like to admit.

Clearing her throat, Lux began, opting first to go over the sonnet.

"He's basically talking about loving someone that he can't have." Lux over-simplified as she tried to recall the many times they had discussed this sonnet.

She felt like her head was going to explode, literally.

This was the point; she knew all too well, when the blank thoughts started to come on; when she pushed too hard.

Eric noted her frustration in the set of her shoulders and the rigid line of her back. "Remember what I said. Break it down; line by line. Give each line a single word or a short sentence and then work them together. In essence the sonnet is about him wanting someone he can't have but there is a deeper meaning that some take from it. Try to find the symbolism in what he is saying, not just the literal translation."

"What deeper meaning?" Lux questioned; becoming much more interested.

"It's kind of a matter of interpretation, but some people believe that this sonnet is an admission of sorts to the idea that the person that Shakespeare is talking about; this person who he loves but can't have is actually a man."

"Well this just became way more interesting." Looking it over again, Lux slowly started to smile as she began reciting some of the lines allowed. "Is that what he means when he says _Hast thou, the master-mistress of my passion_?"

Eric nodded, enjoying the sudden interest Lux took in the literature. Taboo information, such as this, always seemed to spark curiosity. "I just thought he was in love with a really ugly woman."

"More like a young man; someone not fully formed in their features yet. Many believe that he is referring to a young apprentice of his that he fell deeply in love with."

Lux remained quiet as she continued reading; stopping every so often to contemplate the new meanings she was suddenly drawing.

"_And by addition me of thee defeated/By adding one thing to my purpose nothing/But since she prick'd thee out for women's pleasure_…oh my god, how did I not see that before?" Lux questioned with wide eyes.

Her amazement at the sudden revelation made Eric laugh loudly.

"Well, it's easy to gloss over unless the idea is purposefully planted. Whether it is true or not is unclear, it is clear however, that whomever this is in reference to, he had a deep love for someone he felt he could never have. _Mine be thy love and thy love's use their treasure_."

As he recited the last line by heart, Lux couldn't help but notice the way his eyes seemed to darken with those final words.

The silence screamed in her ears as she let the words roll over her senses.

_Mine be thy love and thy love's use their treasure._

But before either of them could acknowledge the shift, a knock at the door pulled them both out of their thoughts. Lux whipped her head around, breathing a sigh of relief when she noticed Math at the door; his casual smile and laid back posture dashing any tension that might have lingered.

"Sorry to interrupt." Math apologized as Eric waved him in. "I just wanted to remind you, Lux, to meet me in my classroom during lunch tomorrow so you can take the test."

While still in the early stages of figuring out the severity of her Dysgraphia, Eric and Math had researched various treatments that could be done outside of therapy to see if anything stuck. So far, they had found that taking multiple choice and short answer tests orally, as well as taking essay tests on the computer were the most effective.

"I'll be there." Lux sighed, forcing a smile.

With a knowing grin, her father's best friend leaned against a desk and focused his attention on the young girl he had grown to care about deeply. "I know you hate having to take the test in a different manner then the rest of your class, and I know that you see this as one more thing that sets you apart from them. But I really have to tell you, your grades have been improving since we figured out what was wrong and started taking these steps to overcome it."

Blushing furiously, Lux looked to the ground. Truth be told, she had felt the difference since they started trying different techniques and she found herself less and less frustrated, but she knew she was no where near normal, and she likely never would be.

More and more she was starting to believe that 'normal' would never be apart of her life.

It didn't take a genius to know that Lux hated discussing these particular issues with anyone, so Math resigned to leave her to her work. "Anyways, if you're out at the loft tonight, let me know if you have any other questions. The test is just to see that you are able to take a piece of literature and find meaning in it. Within reason, there are no wrong answers."

Lux smiled at his attempt to calm her nerves. "Thanks, Math."

"At this rate, Baze is going to have to take on a second job so he'll be able to put you through college." Math laughed with a wink; a clear measure of pride in his eyes.

Lux laughed uneasily. College?

Eric took note.

Math turned his attention to Eric as he made his way to the door. "Hey man, whatever it is you're doing; keep it up, because it's obviously working." Math nodded towards Lux before he ducked out in to the hall, the door closing behind him.

Eric and Lux sat in stunned silence at his choice of words for a moment before Lux started laughing. "If he only knew!"

While she calmed back down, Eric thought back to the conversation that had just taken place. Something hadn't felt right.

"You know, Math was right!" Eric said as he stood up from his chair and took a seat in the desk closest to Lux.

"What? About how whatever it is your doing to me must be right? Because I totally agree." A wicked smile danced across Lux's lips.

"No, about college." Eric said quietly; hating how quickly the smile left her beautiful face. "Have you thought about college at all? Where you might want to go?"

"Not really." Lux stated as she looked away, suddenly interested in the books she hadn't even touched since she'd arrived.

"Are you planning on going to college?" Eric asked as he leaned forward in the desk, trying to meet Lux's wandering eyes.

"Cate really wants me to go…Baze doesn't really seem concerned either way, though I think ultimately it would make him feel better if I did."

"I didn't ask about them." Eric ventured as he touched her knee quickly; her focus instantly centered back to him. "What do you want to do?"

"Truthfully, I've never really even given it much thought, it never seemed much of a possibility before." Lux shrugged.

"Would you be open to thinking about it now?" Eric asked, searching her eyes but finding the wall she often blocked anything uncomfortable out with.

"I guess." Lux answered quickly, trying to appease his concerns and hopefully change the subject as soon as possible.

She looked to the clock on the wall. After all this talk of Dysgraphia and college, this was the first time in a long time, she was grateful that their time was almost up.

"Fair enough." Eric relented, knowing that if he pushed her too hard, she would shut down all together. He followed her gaze to the clock; they only had a couple minutes left. "Any chance you can get away tonight?" Eric whispered.

"I'm sure I can manage to get out for a bit." Lux leaned in slightly, before she sat back in her chair, quickly collecting her papers and shoving her books in her bag. As she did every time she left, she hurried out of the room without looking back; fighting every urge she had to launch herself into his arms and forget about everything else in the world but the two of them.

Some hours later, Lux smiled to herself as she tried to read over her test notes for what felt like the hundredth time.

She could totally get used to studying like this!

Sitting on Eric's couch, her legs stretched out over his lap as he graded some test he had given his freshman earlier that day.

Lux found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on the poem she had chosen for her test.

Maybe it was the change in atmosphere? Maybe it was the lack of tension she always felt when she was alone with Eric but couldn't touch him; forcing her to actually try to concentrate on whatever it was they were discussing.

Maybe it was the fact that every nerve in her body seemed to burn with a fury when his hand rested across her legs when he contemplated an answer on the test. Or the way he absentmindedly tapped the end of his pen on her knee when he was lost in thought.

Whatever it was, it was driving Lux mad!

Shifting slightly; trying not to jostle the papers that perched precariously in her lap, Lux tried to settle further in to the couch and force herself to focus on the poem. Resting her head back on the arm of the couch, her hands holding the paper above her, Lux sighed in defeat. Giving up any further pretenses at studying, she figured that after the many times they had gone over the material, if it hadn't sunk in by now, one more time wouldn't make a difference.

Putting the paper aside, Lux resigned to simply lay back and watch as Eric wrote down random comments on a test.

She noted the way he would bite his bottom lip before marking an answer wrong as if mentally wrestling with the decision. Every once in a while he would smile before letting out a deep laugh, shaking his head at another answer.

As the stack of papers became smaller and smaller, Lux became restless, itching to give him something else to focus on, namely herself; but she was determined to stay quiet until he was done.

When he picked up the last paper, a heavy sigh escaped his mouth as he rolled his neck to release the tension that had built due to his static position.

Pulling herself up, Lux couldn't wait any longer. Placing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth, she could feel him smile against her; her lips never lost contact as she made her way down his chin and then slowly up his neck to just below his ear.

Eric tried to resist at first, but when he had to read an answer three times just to comprehend what it said, he gave up and tossed the ungraded paper to the coffee table with a low groan. "Screw it, he can have an A."

In one swift movement, Eric's arms gathered Lux to him as their lips feverishly went to work. Lux arched her back as Eric's hand flattened over her bare skin above her jeans; his hand covered the entire small of her back with blazing heat. His thumb traced small tantalizing circles over the sensitive area, causing her lips to tremble against his.

They both knew there were limits that neither felt comfortable crossing at the moment, but they weren't nuns for heaven's sake. Lux loved how attentive Eric was with her most of the time, how he treated her in a way that no other guy ever had; but she also loved it when he didn't hold back either.

He sometimes resisted when it came to her, so she delighted in the rare moments when her sense of fragility was gone and he let himself fully indulge in the moment.

His lips found her neck as Lux's eyes closed; partly from the wonderful sensation, but mostly from the dizzying affect from a lack of oxygen.

Wrapping her arms tighter around his neck, Lux held him close as his mouth and hands worked in ways she had never experienced before.

Even the tips of her ears burned as their body heat clashed.

Pulling his head from the hollow of her neck, Lux greedily captured his lips with her own, taking in what air they could when they broke apart, if only for the slightest of moments.

Lux knew they needed to stop, however.

Purposely slowing down, Lux could feel Eric sigh against her lips as he hugged her against him, slowing his pace as well. A few moments later, Eric placed a soft, if reluctant kiss to Lux's closed eyes as she laid her head against his shoulder. She could hear his accelerated heartbeat and could feel it keeping in time with hers as she placed her hand flat against his chest. The strong beat felt like it was trying to break free as they both took deep breaths, trying to calm their bodies down.

"You are evil sometimes, you know that?" Eric asked with a wide grin as his head rolled on the back of the couch to look over to Lux.

"From where I'm sitting, you've got me beat." Lux replied with a slow smile, her eyes still slightly glazed over.

Neither moved as they let the moment settle around them.

Eric's smile faded slightly. "Can I ask you something without you getting mad and all defensive?"

"Well that's rather ominous…and quite the mood killer." Lux laughed nervously.

Eric raised an eyebrow when she neglected to give an actual answer until she finally nodded.

"Why did you shut down earlier when Math mentioned college?" Resting his hand on the outside of her knee, Eric tried to keep his voice even and calm.

The last thing he needed was for Lux to think this was some kind of attack.

"I didn't shut down…" Lux rolled her eyes with great exaggeration.

"You're doing it now." Eric warned.

"Fine. I don't know what to say, ok? I just never thought it was going to be an option for me, so I never let myself even think about it. Yea it would be nice to go, to get a better life in the long run, but it was never for me." She tried to shrug the admission off like it didn't mean anything, but Eric could see the sadness behind her eyes.

"Why wasn't it an option for you?"

"I've just always struggled in school. Nothing pertaining to school, outside of lunch, has ever come easy to me, so why would I set myself up for that kind of monumental failure if I don't have to?" Defiance was starting to creep in.

As if on cue, Eric could practically see the walls quickly rising as she planted herself firmly behind them.

"Lux, you made really good grades up until whatever it was that caused your Dysgraphia to set in. And believe me, you are incredibly smart, you've just been beat by the system for a while and need to catch up. But if you…if we really work at it, you can be just as ready for college by the time you graduate as anyone else in your class." Eric maintained his composure, forcing himself to not raise his voice when her usual self-deprecation sent anger rushing up his spine.

When she got to this point, Eric wished he could find every bastard that ever put the thoughts in her head that she wasn't worthy of everything she deserved; of a normal life.

"Are you kidding? I nearly got kicked out of school because my grades were so bad, not to mention the caliber of teaching at Longfellow, or lack thereof, left me extremely short-handed when I came to Westmonte. You have no idea how lost I was and how long it took Math to catch me up. We spent so many hours at the loft working on every subject – I don't know how he managed to never move out." Lux shifted nervously on the couch when her half-hearted attempts at a joke fell flat.

"Look, a lot of that stems from the fact that at Longfellow, there were so many kids struggling, they were virtually unable to accommodate the needs of everyone and properly figure out what was wrong. But we figured it out, so from now on you just have to let go of what's been done and focus on what you need to do now and in the future."

"That's easier said then done, Mr. I-went-to-college-and-everything-comes-easy-to-me." Lux wanted to move, to stand up and walk around, to leave…anything. She couldn't stand sitting still.

She attempted to swing her feet to the floor, but Eric's hand on her knee held them in his lap. He wasn't letting this go.

Now it was his turn to let go of some of his past. It was only fair if he wanted her to do the same.

"I had to bust my ass in high school and in college to keep my grades up. No one outside of my family knows this, but I was dyslexic growing up. I understand what it means to have to work twice as hard as everyone else, to sometimes get only half the grade. I had the advantage of catching it early and having a support system that never gave up on me and allowed me to overcome the deficiencies. But even though the foster care system pretty much gave up on you, that doesn't take away from the people you have now that are supporting you completely."

At his admission, Lux could hardly resist the need she felt to wrap her arms around him. Maybe he did understand what she was going through? His struggles with dyslexia would explain why he was so interested in her previous school records when every other teacher had just chalked her low grades up to laziness and/or ignorance.

Like always, though, even when she wanted to diffuse the situation, she stubbornly fueled the flames. "Well maybe it's too little, too late." She exclaimed with a defiant set to her jaw.

"I don't believe that! The reality is; it's going to take a lot of work to pull your grades up before graduation, but it's possible. You might not be eligible for a lot of scholarships, but that is what research is for. Like everyone else you take out loans and grants – you have no idea how far in debt I am – but I get to go to work and do something I love, as corny as that sounds." Eric said with a grin, rubbing his thumb along the outside of Lux's knee, searching her face for any sign that she might be softening towards his words.

"I don't even know what I would go in for…I literally have no interests. Even with all the help from you and Math, I can barely understand what is going on, and this is just one class."

There it was! A tiny crack in the wall. A crack that he would slowly work at to eventually bring it down entirely, and for good.

"You know all those poems and sonnets that I gave you to pick from for this test." Lux nodded slowly. "I wanted to see how you naturally responded to different difficulty levels and you know what? The poem and sonnet you picked out…out of all the ones you could have selected…you chose a poem and sonnet that I never even discussed until I was in college. I'm serious. The symbolism and meaning behind both of those pieces is far more difficult then what they tend to teach in high school."

A hint of surprise flashed across Lux's face.

In an instant, though, the doubt flared back up. "Yea, but that's just because you helped me go over them; I never would have picked them out on my own."

"Don't you see, though? We went over all of the pieces I gave you and you felt most comfortable with the ones you chose. When your preconceived thoughts aren't working against you, you challenge yourself without even realizing that is what you are doing."

Lux shifted again; uncomfortable under his encouragement. When would she ever be able to take a compliment and just enjoy it?

"Though it might seem like I am, I'm not trying to pressure you in to doing something you don't want to do. I just don't want you to keep thinking you can't do it, so you won't even let yourself believe it's a possibility." Eric stated as he leaned closer to Lux, cupping the side of her face in his hand…waiting for her to finally look him in the eyes. "How about this? There's about 4 months left before summer break; let's just keep working on getting your grades up and then we'll come back and see how you feel about all of this. I can help you get ready for the SATs and you can fill out some applications; see what comes of it. How does that sound?"

"Like torture…but I guess if you're going to help me and I'd get to spend more time with you, I'll give it a shot." Lux conceded with a sigh as she sat up and wrapped her arms around Eric's neck, kissing him deeply.

Not quite the answer he had been looking for, but he had to remind himself that this was probably going to be a long fought battle.

Right now he'd take any concessions she would give him in the matter.

Pulling away from the kiss, Eric leaned back, taking in every detail he could.

Kissing Lux quickly once more, he relented. "I'm eventually going to make you believe in yourself as much as I believe in you; that's a promise!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! I've got a couple notes to add real quick before this chapter commences. First off, while I am sure most or all of you have already done so, if you haven't read Nalana's LUX fic "Crossroads, Encountered" you must do so now! It is beyond amazing and the fact that it has gotten like 14+ reviews just with it's first chapter should tell you how great it is. **

**Secondly, the story is going to start to take a darker turn, but I just want to let everyone know that the fun, happier moments are no where near over with. This is going to start to delve in to my version of how things went with Lux in foster care, so it's not going to link up 100% with the show. This is really where the AU kicks in. The events that start to unravel in this chapter are actually the basis for this entire story. I had a dream a few months back that kicked all of this off and the entire story spread out from there, so I really hope you like this chapter and please don't hesitate to let me know what you think; good or bad!**

**Lastly, this chapter took a little longer then I would have liked but, unfortunately, Winter quarter started this last week, so it's been a little crazy for me. I still really hope to get at least one chapter out each week, but if it looks rather shaky, I'll post something letting you all know.**

**Ok, I am done rambling now. I hope you enjoy, and please review! It makes me super happy, haha.**

"Yo, anyone home?" Baze shouted as he bounded through the front door; Lux and Tasha close behind, laughing hysterically at the oversized jester hats they had won at the carnival. Switching hats back and forth, they couldn't stop giggling at how ridiculous the they looked on each other.

"In the kitchen!" Cate yelled. Baze turned back towards the girls, a look of panic flashing in his eyes.

"If we turn around and just walk back out, maybe she won't even notice?" Baze whispered as he put his arms around the girls, leading them back towards the door.

Lux and Tasha laughed harder.

"I heard that." Cate exclaimed as she made her way towards the group, leveling a spatula in Baze's direction.

"What…I…I didn't say anything." Baze replied, holding his hands up in defense.

Tasha pulled off her hat, jumping as high as she could to place it on Baze's head with a smirk. "Coward!"

"I like to think of it as self-preservation." Baze mocked as he turned towards the girls, sticking his tongue out at them, before returning his attention back to Cate. "Ok, the children are home by curfew on a school night and they are fed. My parental duties are fulfilled." Puffing his chest out with his accomplishment, he yanked the hat off his head, tossing it over his shoulder.

"Someone gets a gold star!" Lux cried out as she jumped in mock celebration before grabbing Tasha's arm and leading her to the living room. Falling on to the couch, Lux fumbled for the remote control as Tasha laid back against her best friend, propping her feet on the arm of the couch.

"What did you feed them? Pure sugar?" Slightly appalled, Cate watched as the girls cheered loudly when they found something to watch on the television. When it looked like Baze would respond, Cate held her hands up, defeated. "I probably don't want to know."

The front door swung open as Ryan made his way in to the house, his arms filled with countless bags of groceries. "Ryan!" Both girls yelled in unison as he made his way through the living room, stopping for a moment as he noted their unusually peppy attitudes.

"Sugar. Carnival. Baze!" Cate checked off as he nodded and made his way towards the kitchen; unloading the groceries on to the table.

Unloading the bags, Ryan looked to Baze. "You staying for dinner?" A question asked without any hint of animosity or underlying annoyance.

Something that would not have been possible a few short months ago; but now the two men seemed to genuinely get along and everyone was glad for that. The tension between the two had led to quite a few unfortunate instances that neither was proud of and both were more then happy to put behind them.

"Depends on who's cooking." Baze said, flinching as Cate smacked his arm on her way towards the refrigerator.

Out of nowhere, both girls bounced in to the room, rummaging through the food on the table in search of more sweets. "What's for dinner?" Lux asked, scrunching her nose. "Someone's got to feed the blueberry."

Ryan laughed as he gathered the ingredients off the table; shaking his head at the nickname that had befallen their unborn baby. "Steaks, baked potatoes and steamed broccoli. And I'm cooking."

"Then I'm in." Baze stated as he pulled a seat out; planting himself at the kitchen table. "Rule number one; never pass up steak."

"Rule number two; get off your ass and help me." Ryan laughed as he tossed an apron to Baze as he shrugged in to one himself.

"Tasha, you hanging around for dinner?" Cate yelled in to the living room to the girls who had returned to their show.

"If you don't mind?" Tasha yelled back, turning towards the kitchen, although unable to see anyone from where she lay on the couch.

"Of course not, you know that."

"Awesome." A quick high-five exchanged between the girls.

Over the next hour as the girls calmed down, Baze prepared the potatoes for the oven as Ryan prepped the broccoli and steaks. Soon a delicious aroma filled the air as Cate sat on one of the bar stools, laughing to herself at the site of the two men clad in her frilly aprons. She marveled at how easy they made it all look and was quite jealous at how well they worked together to prepare the meal.

Lux and Tasha helped set the table and even though they had all eaten at the carnival, they couldn't resist the rare occurrence of an edible meal that was not delivered or picked up from a restaurant.

For a while, no one talked as they ate in silence.

Cate was the first to speak. "I'm glad you all are here, actually, because Ryan and I needed to talk to you guys about something."

"Well let's see; you both are already married, and already pregnant…what else is left?" Baze joked as he cut a piece of steak off, not even looking up from his plate.

"Are we getting a dog?" Lux exclaimed excitedly. Though she had never told anyone, she had secretly always wanted a puppy. A puppy to her meant permanence. Growing up, the only friends she knew that had puppies were the ones that had gotten adopted. Foster kids never got puppies.

"No, no dog, at least not right yet. Actually, Ryan and I were talking the other night and with the baby coming and Lux, you're actually living in the attic…we just thought it might be time to move in to a bigger place." Cate smiled, almost victorious, as she looked around the table.

She quickly noticed, however, that the only other smiling face was her husbands. Everyone else looked a mixture of shock and confusion.

This was supposed to be good news.

"You want to move?" Lux fought to speak as she looked first to Cate and then to Ryan, before finally settling on Baze's fallen face.

"Yea, think about it. You'll finally get an actual room of your own." Ryan jumped in, trying to ease the tension in the room.

"But I like my room in the attic." Lux whispered, mostly to herself. She looked towards Tasha who sat completely still, intensely studying her hands that were clasped together in her lap.

"What does this mean? If you move, does this mean I won't get to see Lux as much?" Baze finally spoke up, his eyes almost frantic; pained. "What about school. I always take her to school in the morning – it's our thing. I take the girls every morning."

A sudden look of dread washed over Lux.

"Am I going to have to change schools?" While she wasn't the most popular girl in school, not by a long shot, she did have her friends there. Tasha and Jones were at the top of that list. And Eric was there…she couldn't imagine going to another school.

"Wait a minute!" Cate declared, her voice rising to gather everyone's attention. Diffuse the situation. "You all are getting way ahead of yourselves here. We never said we were moving out of the state or anything – we're not even moving out of the neighborhood if we can avoid it. We just need a bigger house, that's all."

"So I'm staying at Westmonte?" Lux asked, needing proper confirmation before she could allow herself to relax.

"Absolutely!" Ryan chimed in. "And Baze, you will still be able to take the girls to school in the morning just the same as you always have. We want to get something in this area, something with more rooms and a bigger back yard, just more space in general. Even though I have lived here for a while now, this has kind of always been Cate's place, with some of my stuff scattered here and there. We want a place that will be a fresh start for everyone. A place that will be ours."

The room fell silent as everyone processed the new information. Cate noticed that Lux and Baze quickly began to come around to the idea, but Tasha remained quiet, pushing the food around on her plate; lost in thought.

"Tasha, are you ok?" Cate asked.

Tasha's attention pulled from her thoughts as she noticed that everyone was staring at her. "Oh yea, I'm totally cool. I was just thinking that I forgot about an assignment that is due in History on Monday. It's getting pretty late, I should probably get home and get started on that or I'll be up all night."

Lux couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Tasha blush. She looked almost apologetic.

Before anyone could respond, Tasha jumped out of her chair as she grabbed her plate and tossed what was left of her food in the trash before grabbing for her coat.

Baze jumped up. "Here, I'll run you home."

"No, it's ok. I'm only a few blocks from here…"

Lux moved to catch her friend but Tasha motioned for her to stay seated, "I'll call you later. Thanks for dinner," she threw over her shoulder just before the door slammed shut behind her.

"That was weird." Baze stated as he looked around the room. "I guess that assignment is pretty important."

"I guess." Cate said as her hand fell to her belly, rubbing the protrusion protectively as she sat back in her chair replaying the bizarre actions of the young girl.

She couldn't shake the feeling that something else was wrong.

Lux, however, knew that whatever was bothering Tasha had nothing to do with school. History was one of the few classes they had together and their teacher had been out nearly all week with the flu. There wasn't any big assignment due on Monday. What had spooked Tasha so bad that she had to practically run out of the house to get away? Surely she wasn't upset about them moving...

Lux pulled herself from the table as she picked her plate and cup up; placing them in the sink and grabbed her coat.

"Where are you going, now?" Cate asked, her face falling at the dwindling number of people in the room. Was she wrong in assuming that the news of them moving would be cause for celebration, not mass fleeing?

"I'm going to try to catch up with Tash and see if she needs any help. She's been struggling to catch up since transferring and this assignment could put her back further if she doesn't get a good grade." Lux deflected as she pulled her coat on, grabbed her purse, and left before anyone could say anything else.

It took her a couple minutes, but Lux finally reached her best friend. Out of breath with heavy lungs that felt like they were on fire, Lux pulled on Tasha's arm to stop her while she bent over, struggling to regain oxygen.

"Tash, what's wrong? I think Baze still has whiplash from that quick exit." Lux asked, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to stave off the bitter wind.

"Nothing's wrong, Lux." Rolling her eyes, Tasha turned to continue walking.

"There is no assignment in History on Monday. If you're going to lie about school, at least pick a class we don't have together." Lux tried to joke as she searched her friend's face for any clues.

Tasha's mouth tightened as she looked away. "I just needed to get out of the house, that's all."

"Was it the moving?" Lux asked, noting how Tasha nearly winced as if someone had slapped her. "Because you're still going to have your apartment no matter where we move to, I mean, you know that right?"

Tasha nearly laughed at how clueless her friend really could be sometimes.

"Lux, it has nothing to do with my apartment and if you can't understand why this is upsetting me, then I don't know that I could explain it to you. Just go back to Cate's." Tasha roared as Lux took a step back, confusion clouding every thought.

Seeing her friend's reaction, Tasha's face softened, but her eyes were still dark. "I'll call you tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok." Lux stuttered as she watched Tasha turn and run across the street, quickly looking for oncoming cars as she ran to put distance between them, not looking back.

Slowly, Lux made her way back towards Cate's. She didn't hear the cars drive past her or the dogs barking and kids cheering from the park across the street. Not paying attention, she didn't realize she had passed Cate's house a few blocks back.

She didn't want to go back yet, she realized; to the questions that were sure to follow from the concerned adults.

They won't expect her back for a couple hours at least.

Picking up her pace, Lux headed to the only place she wanted to be; but she made a quick detour first.

Opening the door, Eric couldn't help but smile at the rather pathetic sight in front of him. Lux stood in the hallway, her cheeks red from wind burn, several grocery bags hanging off her arms; and a notably annoyed look on her face.

Stepping aside, Eric motioned for her to come in as he took the bags from her. "What's all this?" He asked as he kicked the door shut and put the bags on the counter.

Placing a quick kiss to her lips, Eric helped her out of her coat.

"The blueberry's got to eat." Lux exclaimed, taking the items out of the bags as Eric became more and more perplexed as to what that even meant.

When Lux noticed his confusion, she explained. "The baby. Remember Cate's big announcement at Thanksgiving? Ryan started calling the baby "blueberry" and it just kind of stuck. Anyways, today it hit me that if not for Ryan, that kid would never get a home cooked meal; plus I was thinking about that college stuff we talked about the other day – when you asked me what I might be interested in – and lately I've thought about possibly learning how to cook; nothing fancy but at least the basics.."

"There are lots of culinary colleges that you could go to." Eric ventured in, trying to remain neutral at her admission.

"Well, I don't necessarily know that that would be what I would want to go to college for, but I thought, there's no time like the present to start learning."

This was good, Eric though. Lux was showing interest in something new and was actually giving college a thought. He had worried that she would simply push the idea out of her mind until the next time he brought it up.

"So what are you going to try to make?" Eric questioned as he studied the ingredients she had laid out. "I must warn you, I only have a few pots and pans that I had accumulated while in college and was forced to cook over a hot plate."

"I'm making spaghetti and I think all I need is two pans and a strainer. I've watched Ryan make it before and he makes it all in the same pan, except for the noodles, but he just strains the grease I think. Tasha said that Jones tried to make spaghetti once and burned the noodles…I mean, how hard can it be? I'm sure I can at least cook better then Jones."

Disappearing briefly, Eric came back a few moments later, wielding the necessary dishes.

"Were those still in boxes?" Lux asked, shaking her head yet unable to hold back a smile.

"Yea."

"Do you even know how to cook? What do you eat around here, anyways?"

"Mostly take-out. I know how to cook the basics, as you say, but it's just easier to have food delivered when its just dinner for one." Eric said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Am I the only one around here who actually likes a home cooked meal?"

Eric stood back and watched as Lux became fully focused on the task at hand. He knew something was bothering her but he figured that this was her way of trying to deal with it on her own.

He would see if he could get it out of her later, preferably when she wasn't working with scalding grease.

From what he had heard her explain of her mother's cooking, Lux seemed to have inherited her veritable lack of skill. He wanted to jump in and correct her so her first attempt could be successful, but he knew by the tension in her shoulders that his offers of help would be quickly rebuffed.

Pulling the over-cooked beef from the stove, Lux carried the skillet over to dump in to the strainer as Eric inched closer. He wanted to give her space but also wanted to be close in case anything happened.

Just as Lux was approaching the sink, her finger came in to contact with the metal pan. She jumped back, suddenly, tossing the skillet in to the sink; before Eric could pull her away, grease splashed all over her.

"Damnit!" Lux yelled as she pulled at her sweater, trying to remove the searing fabric from her skin. Pulling the sweater over her head, she made sure to not spread any of the grease; glad she had a tank top on underneath.

Eric hadn't seen her this upset since she had tossed her papers at him that night in Baze's bar after they had watched The Outsiders. Without a word, Eric found a sweatshirt for her to wear.

As she pulled the sweater on, the hem of her tank top rose above her jeans and Eric noticed a large area of red welts on her hip. "Is that from the grease?" Before he knew what he was doing he was at Lux's side, his hand reaching for the marks.

"No!" Lux nearly shouted as she stepped away from his touch. Backing against the counter, she took a deep breath and looked to the floor, clenching her jaw.

"What's going on, Lux?" Eric demanded, tired of beating around the bush as to what was causing her to be so upset.

"Nothing, I'm just…the last few hours have just been a little crazy. All I wanted to do was try to cook a simple meal and now that is shot to hell."

"Ok, first of all, the spaghetti is not what caused you to be so upset. What happened today?"

Silently contemplating her next move, Lux shook her head as she started speaking.

"Me, Tasha, Baze, and Math went to the carnival and had a really good time and when Baze dropped us off at Cate's, she tells us that she and Ryan want to move. First I freaked out because I thought they meant…you know, like moving far away; different school, further from Baze…you. But they said they just wanted to move to a bigger house, but still in the same area. They said I would get my own room, we'd all have more space, but…I just don't know."

"You're not sure if you want to move because Cate's house was the first real home you've ever had, I get it. No matter how much more room you'll get in the new house, it won't have the memories of this one."

"Exactly." Lux stated, marveling at Eric's ability to understand and put in to words her thoughts and fears when even she struggled to. "And then Tasha and I got in to an argument."

"Not about us?" Eric interjected. He knew his relationship with Lux was causing a strain between the two friends and he hated it.

"For once, no, Tasha stormed out after they told us about moving. She said she had an assignment due Monday but I knew that was a lie so I ran after her to see what was wrong and she freaked out on me. She said that if I couldn't understand why she was upset then she wasn't going to bother telling me and told me to leave her alone. That's when I came here."

"There are a lot of reasons why you guys moving could have upset Tasha. Many that I could never guess to, but you have to remember that this move could be just as scary for her as it is for you." Sometimes a fresh set of eyes were needed to see a problem clearly, Eric knew.

"Yea, I guess…I didn't really think of it that way. I mean, she's still going to have her place and everything else will still be pretty much the same."

"Regardless, give her some time to cool off and think about everything; then maybe you could call her and see what's really wrong."

"Yea, I'm going to give her a call tomorrow." Lux shook her head with certainty.

Sensing that Lux was cooling off, Eric knew he needed to act fast.

"Now, what's up with the welts on your hip or whatever that was?" Resolving to try the direct approach, Eric was determined to try to find out what those marks were about. Even with the brief glimpse he had of them, their haphazard patter almost looked deliberate.

Lux stiffened, squaring her shoulders as if preparing to fight. This was not good. Her eyes searched his face for a moment before finally speaking. "It's from that wreck I told you about a few weeks ago, it's no big deal."

Her eyes remained fixed on him as if judging his reaction.

"Really?" Eric asked in disbelief.

Lux nodded. He recognized her direct stance; she was challenging him.

"Damnit, Lux. Don't lie to me!" Eric's voice raised as the irritation in her eyes shook a little at his sudden anger, if only momentarily. "If you don't want to talk about it, then just tell me to mind my own business or something, but don't lie to me. I know very well those did not come from that wreck."

"How do you know that?"

"When I saw the same scars on the back of your shoulder a couple weeks ago, you said that you got them in the wreck because you bent down before impact…if that is true, the glass would have cut your entire back up, but wouldn't have come in contact with your hip. Look, I don't ask for much, but one thing I do ask is that you not lie to me. All I want to do is help you if I can and I have never done or said anything to you that would contradict that. I guess I just figured that we were at a place where you could trust me."

"I do trust you." Lux yelled, tears pooling in her eyes; she refused, however, to let them fall, yet.

"Then why can't you tell me what happened?" A sudden thought ripped through Eric's mind. "Did someone do that to you?"

"No! No one did it to me." Lux shook her head frantically as her tears betrayed her; spilling down her cheeks as she angrily swiped them away.

Eric hated to see her cry, but he couldn't back down. He could tell that this was too big. "Lux, look…I don't want to push you to tell me something you don't want to. But the truth is that I can't see what I saw; I can't know that you are lying, and just leave this alone."

Once again, Lux could not believe how her day had gone from good to bad so quickly she could almost feel the proverbial whiplash.

"Fine! You're right. There was no wreck. No one did this to me because…because I did it to myself. There! Are you happy, now?" The words felt like they had to punch their way to the surface as she resisted the urge she felt to empty her stomach when she saw the look of confusion and pity that washed over Eric's face as he stared back at her; stunned, speechless.

Before Eric had the chance to stop her, Lux ran to the door and escaped, slamming it hard behind her.

Overwhelming anger set in as Lux shook her head.

How was it that her past was still able to worm its way in to her life to ruin everything good that she had in her life and that she fought like hell to keep? Making it no more then a few feet down the hallways, Lux felt a hand grab her arm as she tried to jerk it away, not daring to look back.

Before she could break free, however, Eric spun her around and tossed her over his shoulder. "You are not running away this time!" Eric stated as he carried her back in to his apartment, slamming the door shut behind him.

**Ok, I have a quick question for everyone. I've laid out pretty much the entire storyline and I keep adding scenes here and there when the inspiration hits, and by my calculations, this story could be on quite the longer side. In my defense, there will be a lot of ups and downs (as you can see by the way this chapter ended) and it will span a time span of a couple years. Also, because the show is ending in a little over a week (it is so hard for me to even type that) I kind of look at this story of my way of keeping the characters alive and kicking, because I am selfish like that, lol.**

**But my question to you is whether you think the pace of this story, up until now, has been too slow, too fast, or evenly paced. The pace set so far is roughly how the rest of the story will likely go: the everyday stuff, family scenes, happier times, sad times, all mixed together, much as real life tends to be. However, I've been worrying lately that the pace is too slow. I like the direction it is going in, but if the readers become bored, that's not cool. So let me know if you think I need to pick up the pace or add more exciting stuff to the story. As always I am totally up for any suggestions for things you guys would like to see added. Don't be afraid to suggest anything…you can even DM me if you don't want to post it publically in a review.**

**I really hope you liked this chapter…with any luck, the next chapter will be everything I am hoping it will be. Fingers crossed! And again, SO MANY thanks go to Nalana for everything she's done for this story! I am so glad you are back, girl!**

**Evelyn**


	6. Chapter 6

**I must start this out with a HUGE apology for how long it has taken me to get this chapter out. I swear it is NOT from a lack on interest, as I know some have worried that interest would become fleeting now that the show is over, but I actually had the reverse reaction. The finale made me so much more in to this story; it has literally been all I could think about.**

**Unfortunatley, though, college does not care about my love for the show, nor my dedication to this story. This quarter has been probably the worst of my college career and I will not go in to detail (long, boring, detail) but will say that I was simply unable to put in the time and effort needed for this chapter until now.**

**This chapter will really start to go more AU at this point, and while it does deal with Valerie and Trey, it will differ in a big way from the show, with a specific purpose for the deviation. When I first came up with the concept for this story and knew this was the route I wanted to take, it was long before the reveal of "Stand, Taken" and after much deliberation, and A LOT of brainstorming with the amazing Nalana, I decided to stick with my original idea instead of switching to match the show. There will be differences as well as similarities to the show, but it is all coincidence past this point. As always, please don't hesitate to ask any questions or leave any comments.**

**PS: Don't forget to check out Nalana's Lux/Eric fic "Crossroads, Encountered" as it is an absolute must read and is bloody amazing! Yes, I am gushing, and yes Cass, I am allowed to without any shame, haha! Also, the awesome Holiday Latte is back in business with "I and Love and You" which is another GREAT Lux/Eric fic! Please, check both stories out as they are without a doubt, the reason this story is even in existence!**

**Without further ado…**

Hanging over his shoulder, Lux slammed her fists in to Eric's back as he kicked the door shut behind him. "Damnit, Eric! Put me down." Trying to push herself up, gravity worked against her as his arms tightened around the back of her knees.

"Not if you're going to run."

"You can't keep me like this all day!" Lux exhaled sharply, frustration mounting.

_This was absolutely ridiculous._

"Wanna bet?"

"You wouldn't!"

"Oh believe me babe, I most certain would." This wasn't going to be swept under the rug like all the other times he didn't push the issues that Lux obviously hid from.

Lux swear under her breath as she pushed against Eric's back one last time before he could feel her weight rest fully on his shoulder.

"Fine! Put me down; I won't run."

Satisfied, Eric reached up to help her down, but his hands froze just above her knees. "And you'll talk."

His one condition would be the one she feared the most. "God, fine I'll talk, just put me down."

Releasing his grip, Eric walked over to his couch and lowered her on to the cushions. Jumping up almost instantly, Eric braced himself.

For her to run - to hit him?

He wasn't sure.

But she didn't run, or hit him, though her fists were balled up at her side and her face was red. Lux was so mad at him, but all he could think about was how cute she was when her face scrunched up like it was right now.

How even when she tried to look like a bulldog, she was about as intimidating as a poodle.

He wanted to smile.

She wanted to deck him.

Regaining his control, Eric stood up straight and squared off his shoulders, mirroring her defensive stance.

Enough was enough.

"You really expect me to just start talking, to tell you something that happened years ago; something that is no big deal?" Lux asked; her hands perched defiantly on her hips as she tried to muster up a nonchalant smile.

Here we go. Turn the tables, spin the conversation around so much you start to lose sight of the point.

Lux's favorite game.

But Eric wasn't playing this time.

"Yes I do! Because no matter what you say, I know it was a big deal…and I know you want to tell me."

"Oh really, and how do you know that?"

"Because instead of telling me to mind my own damn business you put it out there when you didn't have to. And if it's not such a big deal then why did you run?" Fighting back, Eric stabbed his finger towards the front door.

"Because!" Lux shouted before she could stop herself. Sucking in a deep breath, she calmed herself before continuing, her voice just above a whisper. "Because once I tell you, you'll be gone."

All pretenses at some forced bravado were gone in an instant. Eric's shoulders fell as he covered the distance between them in a single step. Reaching out, he steadied Lux's shoulders, dipping his head to regain eye contact. "I'm not going anywhere. You have no idea the countless scenarios that are going through my head right now, ranging from bad to worse, and if I didn't want to know, I would have just let you keep on running. I want to know what happened and whatever it is, I want to help you if I can."

The anger seemed to leave Lux's eyes with each word, but Eric could see something else left in its place.

Defeat.

"Fine! I guess if this is going to do it, I might as well get it out and over with." Nearly spitting the words out, Lux sat down at the furthest end of the couch, her knees pulled to her chest.

Defensive. Shielding herself…from him?

Eric wanted to say so much in the wake of that statement. He wanted to yell at her for giving him so little credit, he wanted to shake her until she got it through her thick head that he wasn't going anywhere.

Instead, he didn't say a word. In some cases, actions spoke louder than words and he knew that the only way he could prove he wouldn't bail, would be…well to not bail.

"Ok, so I'm sure you've figured it out by now, but there was no accident." Lux started, her eyes shut as she rested her chin on her knees.

A bitter smile played across her lips. "At 12 years old, all anyone really wants is to be noticed, to be told they are special; not that they were a mistake. Not reminded every day how their own parent's didn't love her enough to keep her, so why should anyone else."

"Lux, I'm…" Eric started, but was silenced when Lux shook her head sharply, her eyes still closed; pinched shut in a manner that almost looked painful.

"When I first went to go live with Valerie and Trey, I thought I had hit the foster kid jackpot. Valerie treated me like no one else ever had. We would go shopping and stay up on the weekends watching movies until we passed out from too much sugar and not enough sleep. But Trey was always really quiet. I had been through the system enough to figure out that he was just going along with it all because of Valerie, so I tried to stay out of his way and everything was pretty good for a while."

Lux didn't move from her spot on the couch, but Eric noticed the way her foot bobbed up and down, causing her head to follow suit in an almost rhythmic pace. Her fingers grasped her legs so hard the skin was white; Lux was so lost she didn't seem to even notice.

"But then Trey started drinking, and it got bad pretty quickly. I remember one night, when I got up to use the bathroom, I heard them downstairs arguing…well, not really arguing. Valerie was practically begging Trey to stop drinking, that he had promised he wouldn't drink anymore before they got me. Trey kept going on about how she never treated him like her husband anymore, that all she was concerned about was me. I remember, specifically, how cold his voice was when he said that. Valerie tried to tell him that she loved me like her own daughter and for that split second, I didn't care if Trey hated me…all that mattered was that Valerie loved me. Because no one had ever loved me before."

Tilting her head to one side, then the next, it was as if she didn't even realize what she was doing. While her mind was in the past, it was as if her body was betraying her attempts to remain calm. Rebelling against her need to remain still while the chaotic memories she had buried long ago unfolded.

"But before Valerie could say anything else, Trey grabbed her wrists and shook her until she yelled from the pain. He told her that I was not her daughter and never would be; that I was just some screwed up kid who would leave as soon as I got the chance. I wanted to run down the stairs and tell her that he was lying and that I would never leave her, never. Trey told her that he was the only person who loved her and that she should be lucky she had him because no one else would ever want her."

The logical side of Eric could almost run a mental checklist of the classic abusive traits that this guy…this coward was using to maintain dominance over everyone around him. The bastard was losing control and all he knew to do was take it out on his wife.

By now, Lux had opened her eyes, but she locked her sight on something in the distance. Her eyes held no emotion as she rested her cheek on her knee. Eric wanted so badly to reach out to her, but he could almost feel a barrier between them as she recounted her childhood. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't chance breaking that barrier.

"After that, things were different with Valerie. She was still Valerie but she wasn't at the same time. It was like she was scared of me, and she was scared of Trey. I thought I did something wrong so I started staying up in my room all the time. One night, when Valerie was at work, I was in my room trying to avoid Trey because it was just easier that way…anyways, he started yelling for me and I could tell by the way his words were slurring that he had been drinking. He kept yelling and yelling and I wanted so badly to just ignore him and hope he would just give it up, but he didn't. So I went to the top of the stairs and when he noticed me, he told me to go get him another beer out of the fridge. I know I shouldn't have done it but I was so mad at him, so I told him no and he got pissed. He jumped out of his chair and at first he just stood at the bottom and told me to come down, but when I refused again, he came up after me."

Shaking her head, as if trying to dislodge the image from her mind, Lux jumped off the couch so quickly, it took Eric a moment to register the sudden movement. She started pacing in between the coffee table and the television that seemed both frantic and methodical at the same time.

Still sitting on the arm of the couch, Eric forced himself to remain seated; his arms itched for the contact as he his body literally yearned to hold her to him. Though he had fought for this moment, for her to open up to him, and he knew it would probably get to this point, Eric wanted nothing more than to make her stop.

And yet, he knew it was about to get even worse.

"I remember being so terrified, and I wanted to run, but it was like I was frozen; my feet were literally connected to the floor. He grabbed my arm but I pulled back and when I did that…I'd never seen him so angry before. His eyes flashed and…I think he just meant to pull me down the stairs to prove a point but he jerked my arm really hard. The next thing I knew I crashed in to the banister at the bottom of the stairs before I hit the ground. My arm, the one he had grabbed, hurt so bad. In hindsight I now know that he had dislocated my shoulder, but then I didn't know what was wrong. He panicked and when he reached down to pull me up, I think he popped it back in to place or something because all I remember was pain…almost white hot…ripped through my body and then I blacked out."

Eric shut his eyes as he tried to ward off the images that were flashing through his mind, taunting him with their cruel vividness. He could hear her pacing picking up as she was, by now, walking in circles around the living room.

"Lux, I'm so sorry. I can't believe he did that to you. What happened when Valerie found out?"

"Yea…that's the beauty of the whole thing. Valerie didn't do anything." Lux almost laughed as she threw her hands up in the air in frustration. "When she came home, I was still lying on the floor, the banister was splintered beyond repair and Trey was sitting in the living room laughing at some stupid show he was watching, a cigarette in one hand, and the beer I had refused to get him in the other."

"Well, I mean, did she think you fell or something?" Eric tried to reason, though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"No, well, I mean I don't know. She picked me up and carried me to my room. I told her everything once we were out of earshot, but she just kept her mouth shut the whole time and when I had finished, I was so sure she would kick him out, or we would leave…something – anything!"

"What did she do?"

"She told me that the next time I was on the stairs I needed to be more careful. She turned the light off and left."

"Son of a bitch! That was when you had that stoke that caused the Dysgraphia." Eric suddenly realized, piecing the timeline together. Raking his fingers through his hair, he resisted the unforgiving urge he felt to put his fist through the wall.

"I guess, I don't really remember anything standing out to indicate having the stroke but I can only assume I had it when I was unconscious…"

Rage engulfed every nerve in his body; every hair seemed to stand on end as his pulse hammered in his ears. Eric pictured a much younger Lux, laying broken at the bottom of the stairs, in so much pain she couldn't even register the point when she had the stroke that led to the problems they had been working so hard to overcome. "She did nothing?"

"No, and after that, Trey became even worse, because once he knew that she wouldn't do anything after how bad the first time was, he basically had free reign. Every time she went to work, he would drink; and every time he would drink, I would hide. Until he found me."

"Those scars…did he do that to you?" It was Eric's turn to start pacing. He couldn't seem to calm himself as he tried to come up with a way to show Lux that she had done nothing to deserve what had happened to her. "It wasn't your fault, you didn't cause any of it."

He still hadn't caught on, Lux realized.

This was the moment of truth.

When the axe fell, and Eric found out what she did, he'd be gone so quick.

"I told you, I did that to myself." Lux whispered, folding herself back on to the couch. Her eyes were shiny with unshed tears she was struggling to keep at bay.

"Why?" The anger he had been holding back all but dissipated.

Lux wanted to crawl out of her own skin.

"Look, Valerie was my only hope and if my own mother…Valerie…wouldn't even believe me, no one else would. I don't know, one night when I was taking a shower I saw Trey's razor on the sink. It was one of those old, heavy razors where the blade could be taken out and replaced. I don't even remember consciously making the choice to do it, I just did. I figured if someone noticed them then I could blame it on Trey and someone would have to believe how terrible he was."

Eric sat down on the other end of the couch, trying to take in everything that she was saying. Trying to rationalize how a girl, at 12 years old, could even think to do that to herself. How far gone must she have been to see that as being her only way out?

"The physical scars were just a means to an end and the act itself wasn't the goal. They were finally going to make Valerie see what was going on. But she never did. I started on my hip, but realized that my shoulder might be more "visible" but I don't know. If she ever noticed it, she never said anything."

"How long?" Eric asked, the words tasted bitter on his tongue. He wanted to find this guy himself and unleash every ounce of hate he was feeling for him right now. He wanted to do things to him that he had never contemplated before. He had never wanted to physically injure another human being before this moment. Right now, he wanted it so bad he could practically taste it.

Eric knew, however, that he had to maintain his composure. If he let his emotions get the better of him, Lux might think it was directed at her. She was going through so much right now, he couldn't add to her burden by reacting selfishly.

She had carried this weight for years. He could carry his at least until he was alone.

"Every time Trey would start in, I would do it." Luz whispered as she lowered her head. Ashamed; unable to meet his gaze and put verbal confirmation to her actions.

"I know I keep saying it, but I really am so sorry you had to go through that."

"You know what…don't be." Lux stated as she scooted closer to him on the couch.

"How can you even say that. After all of that, your first instinct is to try to make me feel better?" Pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, Eric couldn't help but smile to himself.

"The way I see it is that if all of that stuff hadn't happened, we wouldn't be here right now. I never would have found you, or my parents. After so long, that is when I decided to become emancipated. That led me to Baze's bar, which led me to Cate…and eventually led to me being in the bar that night you came in."

Eric ran his hand over his face. He knew that she was trying to soften the blow by presenting the possibility of a positive outcome. Her diversions were working, but he still hadn't wrapped his mind fully around all the details. "And these are the people that Tasha was staying with?"

"Yea, that's why I got her to graffiti the house with me and get her kicked out…I know Tasha is tough, but Trey is a whole different level of dick and whether someone is 12, 17 or 20, or hell even Valerie's age, he'll still get them. He still has to be in control, and if there is one thing Tasha can't give up is control. It would have gotten ugly fast." Lux said as she closed her eyes and shook her head, not wanting to the think about her friend facing off against Trey.

"And you never told anyone? Not even Tasha?"

"No, but I still had to get her out of there. As much as I want him to pay, if I told my parents; let's just say it wouldn't turn out well. Baze and Ryan would probably end up in jail and Cate would probably have a nervous breakdown. I can't put that on them, especially Cate, because she is pregnant and that would be too much for her to handle. Everything is, for the first time in my entire life, as close to perfect as it can get and if I threw this grenade in to the mix, I don't know that we would ever be able to put all the pieces back together."

"I understand, I really do, Lux. But I do think you need to tell someone."

"I did, I told you." Lux smiled as she leaned forward slightly.

"And I am really glad you did, don't get me wrong. But if Trey and Valerie are still able to take kids in, there will always be that risk that this will happen again. We could stop him." Taking Lux's hand into his, his fingers wove around hers in her favorite way.

The idea that by keeping her mouth shut; by selfishly trying to protect her secret, some other kid could end up like she had or worse, clawed at Lux's mind…

"I know, I know. I should, but just not right now, ok? I really can't do this all over again."

"Ok, but just remember this is your chance to protect someone in the future, even though no one was there to protect you."

Lux let that thought roll around in her head, knowing Eric was right. She felt an incredible urge to muster all the strength she had built since her life had unexpectedly changed the night of her 16th birthday. She wanted to take that strength and beat Trey the only way that mattered, by making him feel as little as he had made her feel.

But she also wanted just as badly to bury her head in the sand and never face those demons again.

"How much longer do we have?" Eric asked as his eyes darkened. Lux leaned in to his chest, resting her head just beneath his chin.

"Not long. I should go home, but…I really don't want to. I want to stay here, and not in any other way than to just be here with you. I know it's stupid but I want you to put your arms around me and tell me to stay. But I know that we can't and…"

"Stay!" Eric whispered, wrapping his arms around her. Lux didn't miss the way his hand wove around her waist, tightening around the area he now knew held the scars of her past.

_Literally._

"Really? Are you sure?" Lux asked as she pulled back and studied his face.

"We'll deal with tomorrow when it comes, but right now I couldn't make you leave if I tried."

With no further words, Lux stretched out on the couch, curling in to Eric's side as he pulled a throw-blanket off the back of the couch and covered them up. Resigned to the fact that he would gladly deal with the consequences tomorrow might bring if it meant that Lux felt safe tonight.

Lux woke with a start.

Disarmed, momentarily, when she didn't realize where she was until she felt two arms wrapped heavily around her waist.

Remembering with a smile exactly where she was.

A strange buzzing sound came from close by but she ignored it as she snuggled closer in to Eric's body, maneuvering her feet around his as she studied his face. She laughed softly to herself as he snored lightly, his warm breath blowing rhythmically into her hair.

The incessant buzzing noise finally stopped, before resuming seconds later. Lux sighed, annoyed that she was going to have to break up this unspoiled moment. She wanted nothing more than to ignore her cell phone. If she was careful, she could just shut if off. Shifting slightly, Lux tried to reach her phone, but Eric's hand grabbed it first. "You better answer it."

"Morning." Lux smiled up at him, momentarily forgetting about her phone and everything else as she took him in. His hair was a beautiful mess and his eyes remained closed, but she realized that he had never before looked so dangerous before. "I thought you were still asleep?"

"Morning." Eric groaned as he stretched his arms over his head. Truth be told, he had been asleep until Lux pulled away from him to grab her phone. It felt entirely too right to lay there with her in his arms all night and when she moved away, he felt the instant emptiness. He leaned forward, placing a quick kiss on Lux's forehead. "You have to answer it."

With a reluctant nod, Lux turned on to her back, grabbing her phone off the coffee table, before flipping it open. "It's Tash."

Frowning, she turned the phone so Eric could read the text.

_OPEN THE DOOR_

Just as he read the message aloud there was a repeated barrage of knocking at the door.

Lux jumped up and ran to the door, throwing it open quickly before pulling her best friend inside.

Tasha was furious.

"This is it. This is absolutely the last time I cover for you. From now on you either fess up or find someone else to do your dirty work. I can't keep lying to them. I could lose everything Lux, do you not understand that. No matter what you do, they will always be there for you, but I am not their kid! I'm the charity case they are helping to get in good with their daughter. I doubt you would notice, but Cate and Baze and Ryan have really been treating me like they treat you, Lux. Do you even know what that means, or have you forgotten? What you are doing could ruin everything for me…and you really don't seem to give a rats ass." Lux stood motionless as Tasha yelled at her, knowing she deserved all of what Tasha threw at her, and then some.

Tasha looked around the apartment, noticing the pairs disheveled appearances and groggy expressions, laughing in utter disbelief. "Cate called me last night freaking out when you didn't go back home, Lux. I was just barely able to convince her that we had a project to work on for school and that you were going to crash at my place. If she would have come over to check on us, I would be out for good. And for what, so you could screw around with your teacher all night?"

Eric racked his brain for the right words to diffuse the situation but he came up empty. He hated that his relationship with Lux was destroying her friendship with Tasha. He slowly rose up off the couch and walked over to stand beside Lux. Tasha glared at him and he knew now was not the time to jump in.

Lux remained still, silently debating; choosing her words carefully. Tasha rolled her eyes, expecting some sort of reaction, and when she didn't getting any, she turned to leave.

"Tasha, wait…please wait." Lux begged as she grabbed Tasha's arm trying to stop her best friend from leaving. "I need to talk to you, there is something I have to tell you, and then if you still want to leave after that, I will totally understand. And I promise I won't put you in this position again. I promise I will never ask you to lie for me again about me and Eric. There is something I need to tell you…to clear some things up. At some point I need to tell Baze and Cate, but right now, I need to tell you first." Lux rambled nervously.

Tasha no longer struggled against Lux's grasp. "Don't make promises you can't keep." She spat out looking back and forth between Lux and Eric. After a few moments her eyes grew large as her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my God, are you pregnant?" She yelled incredulously.

"No, no…God no!" Lux shouted, a small laugh cracking the seriousness that Eric knew was about to fall in to the room.

With Lux's track record of keeping things to herself, he hadn't expected her to tell anyone so soon.

Lux, herself, was surprised that she was going to tell Tasha, but she knew she had to. She needed to get her best friend to see that she wasn't being entirely selfish when she got Tasha kicked out of Valerie's house.

While a part of her didn't want to admit just how screwed up her past was, a bigger part wanted her best friend to know she would do anything for her.

"Ok, I'm listening. No promises, though."


	7. Chapter 7

**This is my attempt at making up for the crazy long wait between the last two chapters. This chapter is, hopefully, much more fun (perhaps insightful as well), and gives a deeper look in to Eric's life that we never really got from the show. All of these details were the product of much chatting between Nalana and myself, and I promise, Eric's "world" will be included, in depth, in the future.**

**Also, this chapter isn't as long as they have been in the past, but I wanted this to be a stand-alone chapter in that the focus be entirely on this one scene and nothing else. This chapter is very special to me in that it has a lot of personal meanings that I added for authenticities sake. And the next chapter brings more of the drama, so yay! In fact, the next chapter is pretty much finished, and is already at 11 pages, so hopefully it will make up for this chapter being shorter. Let me know what you think, and don't hesitate to ask any questions!**

**As always, a million thanks and HUGS to Nalana for the many late night chats and rants and gushing (Me: KISH – You: Hockey hehe) you are the BEST ever and are far too good to me!**

**Evelyn**

**PS: Check out the story Life Unexpectedly, Interrupted by AddaSalvatore, it is an awesome new story, with a really unique premise, that as of right now is a one-shot, but I am HOPING will become a chaptered story if persuaded properly, lol!**

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"Explain to me again why we are climbing up the fire escape of an abandoned building in the middle of February." Eric asked as they reached the third landing, continuing their ascent to the top.

"Haven't you ever seen pretty woman?"

"Well, you my dear, are no hooker with a heart of gold."

"And you, sir, are no Richard Gere." Without being able to see her face, Eric could hear her smile, he could imagine the way the corner of her mouth would curl up as she tried to remain indifferent in tone. "No seriously, you took me ice skating not to mention you surrendered your kitchen to me, only to have me freak out on you. So I wanted to do something for you that I am hoping you will like."

After all of the intense emotions that had been shed the week before, after her admission to her screwed up past, Lux needed to lighten the mood between her and Eric. After she had admitted to the dark-seeded past she had tried to put behind her, Lux feared that it would all prove to be too much in the end and Eric would leave her. But so far he hadn't. He had remained by her side when she told Tasha about the cutting and the abuse, held her up when she felt like she was falling, and he assured her that everything would be ok when Tasha left without saying a word when Lux had finished. Watching the pain in Tasha's eyes as she shook her head in disbelief before walking out of the apartment was one of the toughest things Lux had ever done.

That is not what tonight is about, though. She had promised herself that she wouldn't dwell on the fact that Tasha hadn't returned any of her phone calls since that day. She was going to take one night to enjoy herself with Eric, and to pretend like nothing else was wrong.

She was determined to make this work.

Lux had showed up at Eric's apartment an hour before, and once she made sure he was free for the night, Lux had told him to put on something warm while she grabbed a few provisions, handing him the duffle bag she packed on their way out the door. Directing him to their destination, Eric was confused when they managed to drift in to one of the more rough parts of town before coming to a stop at the end of a long neglected back alleyway.

"I feel like I am in a bad production of Rent or something."

Stepping on to the final platform, four stories up, Lux fidgeted. She was really nervous.

Eric felt there was a deeper meaning, and he really didn't want to disappoint her with his lack of reaction, but as he looked around the decaying building with the severely weathered brick that looked to barely be holding the structure upright; he simply couldn't piece the puzzle together.

Laughing when she noticed his confusion, Lux replied softly. "Turn around."

Holding her gaze for a moment, Eric slowly turned on his heels as he took in the sight before him. On the other side of the tall privacy fence that had blocked their view from the alley, was one of those old drive-in theaters with the 60s style speakers for each car, the kind you only saw in reruns of Happy Days or something. Complete with a large white screen that seemed to stand as tall as the building in which they stood. Though the movie played diligently on the screen, you could still see through the image to where the white wood it was projected on was cracked from the weather; from years of neglect.

It was quite possibly the most amazing things he had ever seen.

"It's the only one in Portland, and only one of the few left in all of Oregon. It had been abandoned for years until some local guy, with money to spare, took it on as a pet project and started showing old movies every Friday night." Lux stated as she leaned over the railing, looking back to him out of the corner of his eyes, trying to judge his reaction.

"This is amazing! How did you ever find it?" If Eric knew how to stop himself from smiling like a fool, now would be the best time to implement that knowledge.

"Tash and I ended up in the same foster home for a little over a year once, not too far from here. Anyways, we couldn't afford admission, plus we didn't have a car to even get in with so we would come up here every Friday night…of course, you can't hear what they are saying, but we would make up our own story. I hadn't actually thought about this place in years, but I remembered it when I thought about what you might like. I know its kind of cliché, and for all I know, you might not even like old movies…or drive-ins for that matter…" Lux trailed off as she suddenly started doubting her reasons for bringing him here. Why did she just assume that he would like this? Just because he was an English teacher didn't mean he was automatically programed to love the classics and fawn over drive-ins.

"Lux, stop…just hold on ok." Eric laughed as he waved his hand in front of her face, forcing her out of her thoughts. "I love it! Really…ok! This is beyond great." Searching her eyes, he waited until the uncertainty faded before he pulled her against his chest.

Lux shook her head, eyes beaming as she reached up and gave him a quick kiss. "I'm really not sure what's playing, though. They never advertise, you just show up and hope you like what's on."

Eric knew, however, what movie it was.

Eric knew the second he looked at the screen, without seeing any of the actors; the title long since revealed…he knew what movie it was by the way it played on his senses and pulled him back to his childhood.

Laughing to himself, Eric pulled the duffle bag from around his shoulder, digging out one of the blankets Lux had packed. Laying it out on the metal floor of the fire escape, he helped Lux sit down before following suit.

"Jane Eyre."

"Huh?" Lux asked as she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around the rusty bar that held up the railing; her legs dangling over the edge.

"The movie that's playing, it's called Jane Eyre."

"How did you know that so quickly?"

"It's probably my mom's favorite film of all time. Being the first born, I got stuck watching it with her way more then my younger brother and sister. But I think in the end, it's what brought me to teaching, so I can't fault her too much."

"I didn't know you had a younger sister. You mentioned your brother once, but not your sister. It's weird because I feel like you know literally everything there is to know about me, every horrid detail, but I don't really know anything about you." Nudging him in his side, she waited to see if he would open up.

Maybe he didn't want to talk about his family. Maybe he didn't want her to know…

Eric shrugged, his eyes never moving from the screen that brought memories hurtling from his past. "It's no big deal, really. Pretty boring if you think about it; mom was a housewife taking care of us kids, dad was a lawyer, not really around much, but he still managed to be present in our lives for the most part."

"What's their names?" Lux asked, leaning her cheek against the railing, focusing all her attention on Eric. "You're brother and sister…what's their names?"

"Clark and Kylah. Clark is 19, a freshman at UofM and Kylah is 15; she just started her freshman year of high school. It's crazy how quickly time seems to go by when you leave." Tugging at the corner of his mouth, Lux noticed the way his mood shifted instantly.

Not pressing the issue any further, the air settled comfortably between them as they both watched the silent movie. Eric pulled Lux to his side, her head resting on his shoulder as she took in the movie. If Tasha had been here, they would have already had an entire backstory built up around the poor girl who seemed lost at all times.

Tasha would probably suggest her parents had sold her off to fund her father's drinking habit and her mother's crazy doll collection and they would be giggling uncontrollably as they watched the people in the various cars below them.

But it was different being here with Eric. She found herself looking deeper in to the movie to figure out what was going on instead of simply joking around because it was their only chance to have a little fun.

That old life; her old life, seemed to be fading…or melding with her new life.

Without even knowing what was going on, Lux found herself very emotional watching the young girl struggle through life. She felt a kinship with the girl that she couldn't shake. "Is she at some kind of boarding school or something?"

"Sort of. It's a school for girls to teach them how to be proper young women when they get older. Subscribes very much to the woman's place theory of in the kitchen, teaching a class, or rearing children."

Though she tried to hide it, Eric noticed Lux's lips shivering as she took a ragged breathe. Pulling her up with him, Eric positioned the blanket against the wall and pulled another blanket out of the duffle bag. Sitting back down, he wrapped the blanket around himself and held it open for her. Curling up beside him, Lux burrowed as deep in to him as possible.

Leaning back against the frosty building, they let their combined body heat envelope them as they watched the movie. Eric's legs lay out in front of them, crossed at the ankles; Lux's legs were curled up under the blanket.

"At the risk of sounding like I'm 80, there really is something to be said for these old black and white movies. The lack of color and distractions really makes you focus on the actor's facial expressions and their movements. Makes you see their emotions more clearly."

"Yea, but the guy does get a little dramatic at times, though, I mean come on." Lux laughed as she motioned towards the screen.

Eric laughed at her quick, unbiased assessment of the iconic film legend.

"Orson Welles was known for being dramatic, that's for sure. I guess at times he gets a little touch of the soap acting going on. Though my mom would kill me for ever saying that about him."

"Hey, don't knock soap acting. It's good in its own right."

"I never pegged you for watching soaps." Eric asked incredulously as he sat forward, looking down to Lux, surprised.

"Cate got me in to watching this one soap whenever I was home sick, so now she records in on the DVR every day and we usually spend one night catching up. It's not something I would freely admit to the public but they are actually really addicting."

"My mom used to watch soaps when I was little. I remember her crying when a couple got married; apparently it was a pretty big deal at the time."

"Cate cries often, even yells at the TV."

"Oh and I bet you've never cried once while watching the show?" Eric accused playfully as he nudged her side, causing her to jump slightly.

"Ok, fine. I cried once, but it was totally justified." Lux declared as she held her hands out, as if to prove her point.

"I'm sure it was."

"Totally." Lux exclaimed as she pushed away from Eric to sit up; facing him, she started explaining, her hands flailing for dramatic affect. "There was this one couple, who were like perfect, but Cate found out through some PR junk through the station that the show fired the actors because the viewers complained because the couple they played was gay and they couldn't handle it. Completely ridiculous! So yea, I might have cried on their last day. But that was the only time."

"You never cease to amaze me." Eric smiled softly as Lux triumphantly returned the grin.

"Ok, so what's going on in the movie now?" Resting her head on his shoulder, Lux settled back in.

"Jane is older now and has been hired to basically be a nanny for this little girl. The girls father, Mr. Rochester, the guy you said overacts, is never around but once he meets Jane, he finds himself unable to stay away from her." As he neared the end of his brief summary, Eric's voice was barely above a whisper. "Even though every nerve in his body, and every voice in his head, tells him to run away, he can't help but keep going back to her."

The parallels between the two couples would have been laughable if they weren't so hideously ironic.

Lux didn't speak as she fell deeper in to the movie. Eric could almost feel himself being pulled back in time, hearing the words as if they played right by his ear.

The words poured out from his lips as if out of control.

_I sometimes have a queer feeling with regard to you-especially when you are near me, as now: it is as if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly and inextricably knotted to a similar string situated in the corresponding quarter of your little frame. And if that boisterous channel, and two hundred miles or so of land come broad between us, I am afraid that cord of communion will be snapt; and then I've a nervous notion I should take to bleeding inwardly. As for you-you'd forget me._

Lux didn't look up, didn't speak as she let the words sink in.

Of course she understood the deeper meaning behind the words he spoke. The words were so alarmingly intimate, so achingly raw; Lux could feel the wetness creeping in to the corner of her eyes…

"So I bet your mom was happy when you decided to teach English, huh?" Lux sniffled as she tightened her grip around his waist, pulling her closer to him.

Deflection. Lux often shrunk away when emotions and feelings entered in to the mix.

"She was pleased, sure, but she honestly would have been fine with me becoming a bus driver if it made me happy. As sickeningly sweet as that sounds. We don't have to talk about my family, though. Have you been keeping up with the movie? Mr. Rochester and Jane were going to get married but she found out that he already had a wife, she had gone insane and lived in what amounted to be their attic, and then Jane left him." Now who was deflecting?

It was like he was taking a page right out of her book. But he couldn't help it, it felt…wrong…talking about his family with Lux. By all accounts, he had the typical Norman Rockwell childhood, and knowing what Lux had gone through, and was still going through; it made him feel like every happy memory he shared was a slap in the face to her.

"I've gathered that much." Lux said as she sat up and turned to Eric, her face scrunching up as she looked him over, her eyes narrowing. "You're dodging…why can't we talk about your family? It's not like they could even compare to mine in the "freak show" category."

"First of all, you were dodging first. Secondly, my family is just not that interesting; in fact they are pretty boring."

Lux's glare sharpened before she shrugged it off. "Whatever, but this conversation is not over. Not by a long shot."

As the movie came to an end nothing else was said between the two as they lost themselves in the final act. Lux was surprised at how completely she could feel the emotions from the film, having no idea what was being said. Her heart beat wildly in her chest when the finale scene came to its climax before the screen went black.

As the credits began to play, Lux and Eric remained still. Curled in to each other beneath the thin blanket that fought to keep them warm; watching the cars file, one by one, out of the over-grown parking lot.

When Lux made to stand up, Eric held her tight. "We probably should get going. It might be kind of hard to explain how I got frostbite on my nose because I can barely feel it." Lux sputtered as she searched Eric's eyes, fully aware for the first time, that they were completely alone, complete exposed; vulnerable.

Before she could speak any further, Eric brushed his lips over hers. Lips freezing from the bitter air, warmed instantly under the languid, yet determined movements. Paying close attention, Eric softly nipped on her bottom lip as she rewarded him with a low groan. One of his favorite responses from her.

Pulling away slightly; his forehead resting against hers, their lips barely separated as he spoke.

_May you never feel what I then felt? May your eyes never shed such stormy, scalding, heart-wrung tears as poured from mine. May you never appeal to Heaven in prayers so hopeless and so agonized as in that hour left my lips; for never may you, like me, dread to be the instrument of evil to what you wholly love._

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**A/N Ok, so I am a huge fan of Jane Eyre, and the movie they watched in this chapter was the 1943 version with Joan Fontaine, Orson Welles, Agnes Moorehead, and a very young Elizabeth Taylor. It is one of my all-time favorite movies and I recommend it completely if you have never seen it. Remember, nothing is an accident in this story. Always keep that in mind.**

**Bonus points to anyone who got the soap references I slipped in! There were two references, can anyone name them?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Ok, I am posting this sooner than I had anticipated, but I am going to be pretty busy over the next few days, so I'm posting now in case things get too chaotic! I'm not going to post a big, long intro, but I REALLY hope you like it and please let me know what you think, good or bad. As always, don't hesitate to ask any questions or leave any ideas.**

**Nalana, I owe this entire story to you because without your amazingness, I would have gone insane by now!**

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"Ok, so at the beginning of Part II, Flaubert discusses the differing states of the church and the pharmacy, both physically and metaphorically…this is repeated often as the book progresses. What is the importance of this symbolism in context with the rest of the novel?" Eric asked as he skimmed over the pages of Madame Bovary, the latest book being discussed in Math's English class.

Eric deliberately sat a distance away from Lux in order to create some sense of propriety and focus, but Lux often found herself itching to scoot closer to him, to have some sort of contact between them. It was torture having to be in the same room as him and have to maintain distance. School had let out nearly an hour before. Though all the students had long since left, there were a few teachers hanging around for various reasons, some that would randomly pop in from time to time. Lux had to keep reminding herself that she had to maintain decorum.

"Lux?" Eric questioned as he tried to break her concentration, tapping the end of his book on her arm lightly.

"Sorry," Lux blushed as she sat up in her chair, pulling her knees towards her chest with a sigh.

"Where are you today?" Eric asked as he leaned closer, his voice dropping.

Lux had her good days and she had her bad days when anything could distract her. This was definitely not one of her good days.

"Anywhere but here." Lux exclaimed in an exasperated manner, turning her full attention back to Eric. "Look, I know…I know…it's the whole science versus church, good versus evil…thing. The opposing sides…the pharmacy is new and modern, the church is old and falling apart…something about the argument of creationism versus evolution?"

"Basically." Eric conceded, noticing the worried expression on Lux's face. "What's wrong? I know the wording is difficult to understand but after so long it becomes sort of rhythmic and easier to follow."

"It's not that. I don't know, I just…" Thinking about her earlier run in with Tasha before lunch had Lux on edge. She hadn't heard from her best friend since she had told her about Trey almost two weeks ago. When she finally worked up the nerve to confront her after fourth period, Tasha had tried to blow her off with some lame excuse about needing to study for a test but before she could run off, Lux stopped her.

"_Look, I'm sorry if I upset you that day, maybe I shouldn't have told you but I thought you would want to know." Lux pleaded as she held on to Tasha's arm._

"_Don't worry about it. Why don't you go find Minnesota, I'm sure there's other stuff you need to tell him since you obviously trust him so much more than me."_

_Lux didn't miss the way Tasha had said "Minnesota" with such disgust and contempt. It kind of scared Lux that her feelings were so harsh towards Eric. She had known that Tasha didn't necessarily approve of their relationship, but she didn't think it bothered her this much. "Tash, what are you talking about?"_

_Tasha rolled her eyes as she leaned in closer to Lux, keeping her voice low. "What happened with Trey, happened long before you met him, it happened when we were all the family we had. And yet, you told him and not me."_

"_Tasha, this isn't some race or contest to see who I talk to more…or first. I didn't plan on telling him…it just happened." Why did Lux feel like she was in damage control mode all of a sudden?_

"_Yea, well, if it's all the same to you, it does matter to me that for whatever reason, you told him first." Slamming her locker shut, Tasha jogged down the hall, disappearing around a corner before Lux could even respond._

Eric pulled her back to the present as he called her name softly, but before she could respond her cell phone started ringing. Lux quickly grabbed her phone, checked the caller ID and smiled as she flipped it on, hoping that this was a good sign. "Hey Tash! Look, I'm really sorry about earlier…Tash are you there?"

"What's wrong?" Eric asked as he leaned forward, not liking the way Lux's eyes looked panicked all of a sudden.

"I think Tasha might have accidentally called my number. I can hear her, but she's not on the phone." Lux said as she pulled the phone from her ear to look at it before bringing it back, covering her other ear in an effort to hear better. She wanted to believe this was just an accidental butt dialing incident, Tasha had those from time to time, but she felt it in her gut.

Something was wrong.

At first, it sounded like she was talking to someone, Jones probably, but as Lux listened more, Tasha sounded really upset; she sounded scared.

As the male continued talking; more like yelling, Lux knew that wasn't Jones's voice…it was Gavin's. Gavin was with Tasha, and, Lux listened harder…it sounded like he was threatening her. Gavin hadn't been around for months. What the hell was he doing back in town, and why was he yelling at Tasha?

"Oh my god, I have to go. Tasha's in trouble!" Lux yelled as she jumped out of her chair and ran for the door, leaving her books scattered on the desk; and leaving Eric severely confused.

"What do you mean Tasha's in trouble?" Eric yelled after her as he ran to catch up to Lux who, by now, was halfway down the hallway.

"I'll explain later," Lux yelled over her shoulder before stopping suddenly as she spun around and grabbed Eric wrist, pulling his arm around so she could see his watch. "Damn, Baze isn't going to be here for 15 minutes."

"I'll take you, just tell me what is going on?" Eric exclaimed as Lux pushed the phone harder against her ear.

At that moment, Math came jogging down the hall towards them. "Lux what's wrong? I saw you flying down the hallway like your feet were on fire."

"Math!" Lux exclaimed as she ran over to him. "Math, I need you to call Baze and tell him to get over to Tasha's now, it's an emergency!"

"Ok, I don't understand what's going on." He said with his usual sheepish smile as he looked between Lux and Eric.

"Just call Baze. Tasha's in trouble and if I know Gavin…I just need Baze over there. Mr. Daniels is driving me to her place and I can't hang up my phone, so call Baze, please." Lux yelled as she took off running for the exit. Math stood there as Eric looked to him and shrugged his shoulders in uncertainty before heading off after Lux.

As they pulled out of the parking lot in Eric's old truck, Lux held the phone tight to her ear.

"Lux what's going on?" Eric asked, becoming more and more concerned with each passing second.

"I'm not exactly sure but Gavin is there and I keep hearing things falling and breaking. Tasha sounds like she is crying." Lux said as she started to panic. Eric pushed down harder on the gas as the truck sped up.

Though it seemed like an eternity, it only took them a few minutes to get to the apartment building. Baze was pulling up just as they were; Lux felt a measure of relief because she knew the situation could get out of hand really quickly.

"Math called me, what's going on?" Baze yelled as he ran after Lux who was sprinting in to the building.

Lux didn't say anything. She was only focused on getting to Tasha as quickly as she could. She could hear her over the phone begging Gavin to leave. The voices were muffled as Lux figured the phone was probably in her pocket, but she could tell that Gavin was standing too close by now. Lux's heart raced as she took the stairs three at a time, making it to the third floor in seconds; Baze and Eric rushing to keep up.

Lux grabbed for the door knob, but it wouldn't budge.

"It's locked." She shouted to Baze as he approached the door. Her keys were still at the school.

"Move!" Baze yelled as he sped up, throwing his shoulder in to the door at the last second. The door broke open as he stumbled slightly, quickly regaining his balance. Lux scanned the room as the three stood motionless for a second trying to hear anything. The apartment was eerily silent, before a loud crash came from the bedroom.

Baze pushed Lux behind him as he ran in to the room just behind Eric. Gavin had Tasha pinned down to the bed; his hands wrapped around her throat as she feebly tried to kick him away from her. Everything happened so fast, Lux could hardly comprehend what was going on. Eric reached Gavin first; forcing his hands from around Tasha's neck as Baze grabbed him, locking his arms behind his back.

"Lux, get out of here!" Baze's voice boomed as he threw Gavin up against the wall. He tried to kick the door shut; to shut her out, but her arm flew up to stop it from closing.

Lux wasn't listening to him, however. All she could register was the chaotic forms in the room that seemed to neither solidify nor dissolve; they simply floated through her head in an angry haze. She froze as images from her past flashed in her mind.

Eric gently held on to Tasha's shoulders as he tilted her head back, making sure she was breathing before calling her name. Her shoulders hung limp in his hands, her head swaying slowly side to side as she remained largely unresponsive.

Her face was scrunched up as tears poured freely down her cheeks, though her eyes were closed tightly.

Without warning, Tasha gasped for air as she started violently pushing Eric away from her, unaware of what was going on.

Lux slowly started to walk towards her best friend as Baze yelled again. "Lux! You shouldn't be in here." He wanted to pick her up and physically stop her from seeing any of it, but he couldn't release his grip on Gavin.

Eric quickly looked to Lux, knowing that if she saw Tasha, after everything she had gone through, she would come unhinged. He moved himself so Lux couldn't see how badly Tasha was hurt as he tried to calm her down enough to realize who he was, to open her eyes and see that she was ok. "Lux, GO!" Eric yelled over his shoulder just as Tasha's eyes flew open, darting around frantically as she grabbed her neck, gasping wildly for air.

"Lux!" She cried, grasping at the one name she trusted most in the world.

Lux snapped out of her daze and practically ran across the bed to get to friend. She helped her sit up before throwing her arms around her; both crying uncontrollably. Lux pulled away first as she gently cupped Tasha's cheeks in her hands, trying to get a better look at the damage.

"I'm calling the cops." Eric said as he pulled his phone out and stepped out of the room as Lux tried to comfort her best friend.

"Lux, get her out of here!" Baze yelled as Gavin tried to break away.

"Come on, let's go out to the living room, ok?" Lux whispered to Tasha as she looked back towards Gavin who was still weakly trying to break away from Baze's grip. Tasha nodded as Lux helped her stand up.

As they walked towards the door, Lux pushed Tasha behind her, shielding her from Gavin's wild glare as Baze shoved him harder against the wall. Lux swore she felt the floor shake.

Lux couldn't believe what was going on – this was not the Gavin she knew. But did she really know him all that well anyways? She had to remind herself that the last time they had heard from him was when he had trashed Baze's bar to get back at Bug. It scared Lux to think that at one point in time, they had all planned on running away and living together.

As they reached the couch, Tasha was shaking uncontrollably as she tried to catch her breath. Lux sat her down before kneeling in front of her to see the extent of her injuries. Both of Tasha's wrists and her neck were red with finger marks and she had the beginnings of a really nasty black eye.

"The cops are on their way." Eric whispered as he came from the kitchen, handing Lux a zip-loc bag filled with ice. "It's all I could find." He said apologetically.

Lux took the bag and placed it gently over Tasha's eye. "Tash, what happened?"

"Gavin found out where I lived from one of the Sunnyvale kids and came here. He was already here when I got home from school today, I think he came in through the window or something. He said I owed him, and since I had my own place he thought I could get him cash. When I told him that Cate set me up here he wanted me to get the money from her, but when I refused he started freaking out. That's when I called you." Tasha said, her voice breaking as she rubbed her neck; wincing under the contact.

All of a sudden, they all jumped as Baze's voiced ruptured from the bedroom, "Shut up, before I shut you up myself. I ought to make you beg for air like Tasha was! Don't you ever come near her again, or I'll put you under myself."

A few loud thuds followed before everything fell silent once again.

Lux smiled to herself. Not one for violence herself, she hoped Baze beat the shit out of Gavin. She returned her attention to Tasha.

"I always knew Gavin could get really upset, but I've never seen him like this before."

At that moment, the cops came in to the living room, stepping around the door that hung off all but one of its hinges, surveying the damages. Eric pointed towards the bedroom as an officer started questioning Tasha. A paramedic soon followed, noticing Tasha and attending to her injuries.

Lux found it hard to pay attention to all of the commotion, though, as she stared at her best friend. A few officers walked out of the bedroom, when Cate ran in to the apartment, her eyes wide as she took in the scene, throwing her arms around Tasha and Lux as soon as she reached them.

Gavin was escorted through the living room as Eric stepped back between him and the girls as they walked him, handcuffed, out of the apartment.

Cate ran her fingers lightly over the bruises that were rapidly forming around Tasha's cheek, tears in her eyes as she hugged Tasha gently to her. "It's going to be ok."

Another officer tapped Cate on her shoulder.

"Miss, we need to ask her a few more questions if you don't mind. I see that she is a minor," the officer said as he looked over a few pieces of paper. "Are you her mother?"

"Yes!" Cate blurted out before she could stop herself. "I mean, no…well I am legally responsible for her." Cate winced, the words tasting bitter on her tongue; realizing that what she felt for the girl far surpassed legal responsibility.

The officer started questioning Tasha as Cate stood beside her, her arm wrapped protectively around Tasha's waist.

Lux had almost completely forgotten about Eric being there until she felt his hand quickly graze her back. She turned towards him, wanting to bury herself in his arms, but she knew she couldn't. His eyes questioned her and she nodded reassuringly to him.

She was ok, she knew; for now.

After the officer was done questioning Tasha, Baze finally made his way out of the back bedroom, shaking his head in disbelief as he made his way towards the group, taking Tasha in to his arms as she broke down crying.

"What happened?" Cate asked Lux as she rubbed Tasha's back soothingly; Baze holding the sobbing girl tighter as he struggled with the realization that he had no clue what to do for her to make her feel better.

"I was at tutoring after school…" Lux said, her voice shaking, as she motioned towards Eric, "when Tasha called. I could hear everything in the background and realized something was wrong. Baze wasn't supposed to pick me up for a while and I couldn't wait so Mr. Daniels said he would drive me. I ran in to Math and told him to call Baze. That's when we got here and…" Lux explained as she let the last part of her sentence trail as she looked back to Tasha. "How did you find out, Cate?"

"Math called me. He said something was up with Tasha and that he had already called Baze. I was at the station so it took me longer to get here. Ryan's at an event."

"Excuse me." An officer said as he broke up the group's conversation. "I'm sorry, but we are going to need you all to come down to the station to give your statements."

"Of course." Cate said as she looked to Tasha. "We're all here for you, ok?"

Tasha nodded as she tried her best to compose herself, wiping at her face with the back of her sleeve and taking a deep breath. The group walked slowly out of the apartment as Baze and Cate walked ahead with the officer, questioning what would happen next. Lux held Tasha's hand as Eric quietly followed beside them.

"Hey." Tasha whispered as she looked to Eric before dropping her focus to her feet, her hands twisting nervously together. "Thank you. After everything I've said and…I just…thank you."

It was barely audible, but he nodded his head.

As everyone piled in to their respective vehicles and made their way to the police station, the silence screamed between them. Cate, Tasha and Lux drove with Baze, Eric behind them, both following the cop car that held Gavin.

Once at the station, while Tasha was giving her statement, Lux excused herself to call Jones. He was understandably freaked out as he first wanted to come down to the police station to see Tasha right away to see for himself that she was ok, but Lux explained that he shouldn't. He needed to wait until this was all over and Lux promised to call him as soon as they were leaving the police station so Jones could meet them at Cate's.

Cate had insisted that Tasha stay with them for as long she needed, while they got her apartment back in order.

After a few hours, their statements were all taken and Cate filed a restraining order against Gavin, even though they were assured that he would be held without bond for a while as he awaited his hearing. He had prior convictions that would enable the station to hold him longer without bail.

As they trudged out of the station, each looking all the worse for wear, Lux called Jones, who was already waiting outside of Cate's house. Lux smiled, glad that things had worked out the way they had with Jones because Tasha deserved to finally get the good guy, someone who would take care of her, not hurt her.

Cate helped Tasha in to the back of Baze's jeep as Lux remembered how she had ran out of the school. "Oh no!" she exclaimed as everyone stopped and turned to look at her.

"What?" Cate asked cautiously, wondering what else could possibly go wrong in one day.

"All of my stuff is still at school. My purse, my books, everything; I ran out without taking any of it with me."

"We can get it tomorrow, can't we?" Baze asked as he stood beside the driver's side of the large vehicle, still managing to tower over it with his incredible height.

"Tomorrow is Saturday!"

"Well…" Baze said as he looked around. They only had his car as Cate's was still at Tasha's and he really wanted to get Tasha back to Cate's; she really didn't need to be dragged all over town right now.

"I can run her back. The school's probably locked up anyways and I've got keys. It won't take very long." Eric ventured cautiously, honestly wanting to help, but hoping he wasn't overstepping.

"You wouldn't mind?" Cate asked, relieved to be able to take Tasha straight home. She looked to the young girl, sitting alone in the back of Baze's car; her heart broke. She hadn't said a single thing since they left the apartment other than giving her statement to the police officers.

"Not at all."

"Ok, thanks dude. For everything." Baze said with a quick nod as he ducked in to the jeep, starting it up; Cate following close behind.

As the car pulled away, Eric glanced at Lux. She looked like she was either going to be sick or start crying; as if she would crumble at any moment. He placed his hand gently on her back as he guided her towards his truck. He shut her door gently behind her before he raced around to the other side. He could feel the tension pouring off of her in waves as he drove away from the station, noticing her hands shaking as she tried to hold them still in her lap.

A few blocks from the school, Eric could hear Lux trying to steady her breath, tears rapidly forming in her eyes. Turning on to a back road, Eric threw the truck in to park, raced to her door and pulled her out as quickly as possible as she collapsed against him.

"Oh God, I can't believe that just happened?" Lux nearly yelled through gritted teeth, frustration burning in her eyes, her fists balling up Eric's shirt as all her pent up emotions came to a head. "How could Gavin do that?"

"I don't know." Eric answered truthfully as he kissed the top of her head.

Lux pushed away, swiping her sleeves quickly across her cheeks. "Sorry…I'm fine now. I need to get back to Cate's, I don't want to leave Tasha alone that long." She stated, blinking rapidly against the tears in her eyes as she turned back towards the truck. Eric grabbed her arm, turning her back towards him.

"Ok, we'll go back, but listen, Lux. Tasha isn't alone; she's got Cate, Baze, and Jones right now. And even if you don't want to hear this, it won't do Tasha any good if you go back there so upset." Running his thumb over her cheek, wiping away the trail of tears that had taken shape, Eric frowned.

"I'm not upset; I just needed to blow off a little steam. I'm ok now." Lux countered, trying in vain to compose herself.

"Lux, look at me." Eric said as he lifted her chin. "You have every right to be upset after all of that."

Lux knew he was right; and she hated him for it.

She hated that what had happened in the past, what she had worked so hard to bury, was still able to break to the surface and mess with her in such a way that it rendered her unable to help her friend when she needed her the most. When Lux had realized what was going on she couldn't help but think about Trey and when he used to go after her.

"Which is exactly why I need to be with her right now. I know what she is going through more than Cate, Baze, or Jones ever could." Lux argued defiantly, pushing away from Eric.

"Ok, just take a couple deep breaths first, alright. I can't take you home in worse shape than when we left. You will be able to help Tasha so much more if you aren't as emotionally wrecked as she is." Eric said as Lux looked to him.

_She needed to pull herself together._

With a sigh Lux walked back over to Eric, weaving her arms inside his jacket and around his waist. "After everything that's gone on recently, I wouldn't blame you if you ran in the opposite direction and never looked back."

"I'll keep that in mind." Eric smiled against her hair, glad she was attempting to lighten the mood.

_This was a good sign._

"I'm serious, just being with me is problematic enough, but when you add the crazy past, the overbearing new parents, and now all of this…I just don't understand why you're still willing to be with me." Lux whispered as her arms tightened around him.

"Don't you get it? I get you." Lux blushed furiously as she started to protest, but Eric stopped her with a quick kiss. "I can't exactly explain why, but you are worth it to me. Nothing that has happened, and nothing that will happen, could make me not want to be with you."

"Yea right, you're just saying that to make me feel better."

"Everything about you makes me want to be with you every second of every day. The fact that you stutter when you get really nervous, or how you appreciate things that everyone else takes for granted. How infuriating you are when you call yourself a moron. Even your knee socks and those silly hates that you are always wearing. All of these things, and everything else about you, makes everything worth it. No matter how bad it gets." Wiping the tears from her eyes, Eric kissed her lips softly.

A million thoughts and questions raced through Lux's mind as she replayed his words over and over again. Eric knew every dark secret she had, he knew that no one had wanted her growing up; that she was discarded goods, and yet…he still wanted to be with her.

"I don't deserve someone like you." Lux whispered as she played with the lettering on his shirt, doubt clouding her eyes.

"Lux, you deserve better than I can give you right now." Eric stated sadly, frustrated by the fact that she still hadn't realized that yet.

Lux disagreed.

When Eric looked to continue, Lux threw her arms around him, greedily kissing away every negative thought, trying to savor this moment. He was the only one who could turn one of the most terrifying days of her life in to one that she would always remember for the good and not just the bad.

"Well then it looks like you are stuck with me. Now, let's get to the school and then get back to Cate's, Tasha needs me." Lux whispered as she pulled away just enough to speak, feeling Eric smiling against her lips.

Lux had the support of one of the greatest guys she had ever known. She felt like she had the strength to beat anything and she was determined to take that strength and help Tasha overcome this brutal obstacle she now faced.

They drove in comfortable silence, Eric absentmindedly rubbing the back of her hand with his fingers as they pulled in to the school's parking lot. They made their way in to the deserted building and to his classroom, making fast work of grabbing all the stuff she had left behind before quickly leaving.

As he pulled down Cate's road, Eric quickly kissed the back of Lux's hand in his, knowing this was the only goodbye they would get. Pulling up behind Baze's jeep, Lux jumped out of the truck. With one last look, and a small smile, she shut the door and ran up the porch steps.

Once inside, Lux saw Tasha sitting on the couch, Cate and Jones on either side of her; Baze leaning against the fireplace as he looked to the ground. He had the same defeated looked he had worn at the apartment and Lux realized how heavily this really played on him. Baze was almost always joking around and generally in a good mood. It was disarming to see him so troubled.

"Tash!" Lux whispered as Tasha jumped up from the couch and ran to her best friend without a word. Lux wrapped her arms protectively around her, wondering how the roles between them had become reversed in such a short amount of time.

The marks around her neck and wrists were still raw, a darker red then before, but the bruise around her eye was the most startling. Deep purple wrapped from the crest of her eyebrow all the way to the bridge of her nose, contrasting wildly against her ashen complexion.

Lux's hand shook as she lightly touched the side of her friend's battered face. The bruises would eventually fade, Lux knew first hand, but the emotional scars would take much longer to heal.

As much as he hated to admit it, Jones knew that his time to support Tasha had passed for the night now that Lux had returned. He knew that there were just some things that not even he could give her right now, so he slowly stood up, excepting that it was time for him to leave. Baze clapped him lightly on his back as he made his way around the coffee table, stopping to shake the older man's hand. "See ya tomorrow, little dude?" Baze asked quietly as Jones smiled at the nickname he had grown to kind of like.

"Yea man, if that's ok?" Jones asked looking around the room feeling both out of place and completely helpless.

"Absolutely." Cate said, standing up slowly as she held on to her swollen belly, smiling awkwardly but genuinely at the young man.

Tasha slowly untangled herself from Lux as Jones approached her cautiously. She nodded, her bright eyes still shining as she took his hand and walked outside with him to say goodbye.

As soon as the door shut, Baze exhaled deeply. "I can't believe all of this." He said as he ran his hand slowly over his face and through his hair. "I can't even…" Baze trailed off as he looked to Lux. "I don't know what I would do if that ever happened to you."

Lux stood motionless, unsure of what to say as Baze sadly looked towards his daughter, not knowing how close to the truth he really was. His blood boiled when he retraced the day's events and what Tasha had gone through. Yet, he also couldn't help but think about Lux, and all those years that were largely unaccounted for. Years that Lux refused to talk about. Now, more than ever, he wanted to know that his daughter had never been hurt like that. He needed to know.

"He attacked her because of us. She was beaten, Baze! He hurt her because she was protecting us!" Cate cried in frustration as Baze hugged her to him, nodding against her head.

"I know." Baze said as he looked over to where Lux stood, looking more like a small child than ever before. "Hey, kiddo. How are you holding up?" He asked as Cate turned towards her.

"I'm ok, just trying not to replay it all over and over…you know." Lux stated as diplomatically as she could. Baze opened his arms as Lux walked slowly towards them before the three of them were intertwined with each other. They heard the door shut slowly as Tasha stood in the hallway, awkwardly watching the family interact with each other. Lux and Cate opened their arms at the same time as Tasha ran to them, her face falling as they enveloped her in the middle; the broken heart at the center of their upended family.


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm not dead, I swear! And neither is this story. Unfortunately my house has been inundated with just about every virus known to man and after multiple trips to the doctors, we are all finally starting to get better. I have 2 more weeks for this quarter and then I have a couple weeks off and I plan on doing some major writing during that time, if not before.**

**This chapter is pretty much all fluff, as is the next, as I prepare to take things in a much darker and more serious direction. I wanted to get the fun stuff in while I could. I am actually really excited for the stuff to come. I have lots of ideas that will hopefully take this story in a new and different direction.**

**I hope this chapter is ok! Fluff, yes, but progress none the less! As always, let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and reviews are SO LOVED! They really help motivate the flow of ideas!**

**E**

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"How did you manage to work this out?" Eric asked as he finished the last bite of spaghetti on his plate, a victorious grin edging the corner of his mouth. With the promise of help, Lux had finally agreed to try to make the dish once again. This time, the results couldn't have been any better.

It hadn't escaped him that Lux had watched his every expression while they ate, no doubt waiting for him to render a verdict.

"After everything that has gone on recently, I thought Cate and Baze were going to surgically adhere themselves to me and Tasha, but the station is hosting some event in San Francisco and I was able to convince Cate and Ryan that them leaving for a weekend wouldn't bring about the end of the world. Baze is going, as well, to try to sign some singer to his dad's firm. They won't be back until Sunday, but I practically had to push them out the door with the promise that Tasha and I would be fine." Lux exclaimed as she pushed her plate away and leaned back in to the couch.

Eric began collecting the dishes. "Well, I mean, you can't fault them for being worried. Hell, I don't like to be away from you longer than a few hours."

"Yea, but that's sexy! They're just…parental." Lux declared as she pulled a face.

"So we've got the whole weekend?"

"Pretty much. The only way they would leave is if I promised on pain of death not to ignore their calls. Cate swore that the first time she couldn't get a hold of me on my cell she was coming back. So I'm calling her every day so she won't worry." Picking up their cups, Lux followed Eric in to the kitchen, placing the dishes in the sink.

"A preemptive strike, huh?"

"Yep. Two birds, one stone. Cate won't freak out and we get the entire weekend to ourselves."

Leaning back against the counter, Eric pulled Lux against him. "Dinner was great!"

Lux smiled, forgoing any attempts to down-play his compliment. "Thanks!" Her success at dinner, with his help of course, and as silly as it sounded, filled her with a certain amount of pride. There actually was something that she could be good at if she really tried.

"I'm going to jump in the shower, but how about a movie afterwards?" Eric conceded as he pushed himself from the counter.

"Sounds like a plan."

As Eric showered, Lux curled up on the couch; thinking. While she tried not to for many reasons, sometimes it was hard for her to not compare her relationship with Eric to the one she had had with Bug. Bug was just about her first as far as everything went and while she didn't regret her past with him, she couldn't deny the problems that had existed between them. His anger towards his own screwed up past had not helped Lux when she needed him the most. When she had first found Cate and Baze, she didn't know what to believe as her entire life turned upside down. Looking back, it bothered her how easily she had let him push her around when she was struggling with where she fit in with Cate and Baze, and with him. Simply put, he had never encouraged her to dream of a future bigger than some run-down apartment he could barely afford to make rent on. Eric was constantly pushing her and while his vision of what she was capable of was largely out of proportion, his enthusiasm was contagious. When she was with him, and even when she wasn't, she found herself, for the first time, actually believing she could do something with her life.

"Lux! Hey, are you in there?" Eric laughed as Lux stared off in to space, not even flinching when he waved his hands in front of her face.

"What? I'm sorry, I was just…thinking." Lux trailed off as her focus shifted, realizing for the first time that Eric was standing a few feet away, his hair still wet and uncharacteristically wild. Wearing a pair of sweatpants and nothing else, Lux felt her cheeks flush.

Pushing herself quickly off the couch, Lux escaped to the kitchen to get some water. She had seen him in only his boxers when he tried to teach her to swim, why was she blushing now?

Eric pulled a t-shirt on; noticing the way Lux had become flustered. He'd be lying if he said he didn't like that he had that effect on her, but he also knew that things couldn't go too far between them this weekend. There wasn't a set time or date when they would take things to the next level, but all Eric knew was that that time was not now.

He mentally wrestled with the justification of how it was ok for them to spend the night together, even if sleeping would be all they were doing. Shades of grey were everywhere but Eric refused, however, to think about anything negative this weekend.

This weekend was going to be about him and Lux. He had resigned a long time ago to not being able to stay away from her, and truth be told, he had never once regretted that decision. He was going to make the most of every minute they could get and not look back.

Following her in to the kitchen, Lux kept her back to him as she sipped slowly on a glass of water, willing her cheeks to return to their normal color and not give her away any further. Eric laughed to himself as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Umm, I was just thirsty…I…" Lux stuttered, trying to cover as best as she could.

"If this is too much for you, I can take you home if you want." Eric sighed as he kissed the spot just behind her ear that he knew she liked. "Believe me, I want you to stay, but I also don't want things to become awkward between us, for whatever reasons, so if this is too much – or not enough – for you, we can stop this right now."

Lux leaned back in to him, closing her eyes for a moment and taking everything in. The moral dilemma was there, of course, and logically she knew that this could end so much worse for him. But when it felt right, it felt right, and who was anyone else to judge or put such a crude label on their relationship. Because of an issue that they didn't even realize they had when they first met, they were deemed immoral and inappropriate. Yet, Lux also couldn't deny the fact that Eric still wanted to be with her, no matter the risks. And she wanted to be with him as well.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily." Lux smiled as she turned to him, kissing the corner of his mouth.

"I'd hope not!" He replied simply, his hands resting on her hips.

Lux changed in to a pair of sweats and a tank top, throwing on her favorite pair of fuzzy socks. On her way out of his bedroom, Lux spotted Eric's sweatshirt that she had worn the night he took her ice skating. Smiling to herself, Lux shrugged it on, breathing in his scent from the worn fabric. Making her way out of the bedroom, she spotted Eric looking through his DVD collection, trying to locate one in particular.

Smiling wildly, she ran towards him, sliding the last 10 feet on the wood flooring crashing lightly in to his side. Eric could barely contain his laughter as he steadied her against him. "I don't even want to know," he smiled as he shook his head in amusement.

"Probably not!" Lux exclaimed as she stretched up to plant a quick kiss on his cheek before heading to the couch.

With the movie finally selected, Eric returned to the couch as Lux curled up beside him. As she snuggled closer, he pulled at the sleeves of her sweatshirt. "I'm seeing a pattern here."

Lux blushed but held her chin defiantly. "I just hope you're not too attached. This is so comfy, I might just have to snag it for myself."

"Well, like I said, looks better on you anyways." Eric stated softly as their attention turned back to the TV. Just as Lux was about to ask what movie it was, she recognized the familiar 80s music that filled the air.

"No way!" Lux squealed as she playfully slapped Eric's arm. "Ferris Bueller is my favorite movie ever! How did you know?"

"That night when we tried to go to the ocean, the night we first met, we were talking about our favorite movies and you said that you liked the 80s brat-pack movies, but you especially liked Ferris Bueller."

"My god, that's right. I remember…you said you had never seen it before…"

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Eric smiled at the memory. "And you practically berated me for that. You said, and I quote, "you haven't really lived until you've seen Ferris Bueller." So one day when I was at the store, I came across it and picked it up, wanting to see what all the fuss was about."

"And?"

"Well, I mean, it's no cinematic revelation, but I definitely understand why everyone loves it so much. It's addicting in a weird way."

"I really must educate you on the many awesome movies that came out in the 80s. The tables will turn my friend – the student shall become the master." Lux exclaimed dramatically.

"How is it that you have such an affinity for movies that came out well before you were even born? If anything, I should be more familiar with them then you."

"Oh, don't give yourself too much credit; you were barely out of diapers before the 80s were over with. In fact, Ferris Bueller came out in 1986, so if my math skills hold up that means…ohh wait a minute…YOU weren't even born yet, either." Lux said as she stuck her tongue out at him.

Eric couldn't argue with that kind of logic. "Touché."

"Ohh this is my favorite part." Lux yelled as she leaned forward, reciting the scene word for word. "_You make me get out of bed, you make me come over here. You make me make a phony phone call to Edward Rooney? The man could squash my nuts into oblivion. And-and-and then, and then, you deliberately hurt my feelings._ Classic!"

Eric found himself watching Lux watch the movie, more than watching the movie itself: Smiling when she recited random parts of the movie, and laughing hysterically when she wiggled beside him before jumping up and dancing around the coffee table during the parade scene after her failed attempt to get him to join her.

Noticing Eric's amused expression, Lux explained. "At Sunnyvale, they didn't have the newest movies, so there were a lot of 80s and 90s movies that Tasha and I would watch when we were younger. We can recite "The Pest" front to back. Awesome movie, completely underrated."

Lux sat back down on the couch with a huff, settling in to finish out the rest of the movie.

As the credits roled, Eric stood up, smiling down at Lux as she stretched out sleepily on the couch. "I'm glad you enjoyed the movie."

Lux reached out her hands as Eric pulled her off the couch.

"I haven't had that much fun in a long time." Lux said, smiling as she hugged his arm to her. Turning off the TV and the lamp beside the couch, they made their way slowly back to his room.

Eric was glad to hear her say that. His main goal lately had been to try to get her mind off of everything that had happened recently. Even though he was a bit older than her, she had gone things he could never even imagine. Her age did little to mask the reality of her past. He hoped to change that, if only a little bit.

Lux followed Eric to one side of the bed, diving in as soon as he had pulled back the covers; before he could object. Eric playfully raised an eyebrow at her before she started laughing and rolled to the other side of the bed.

"Fine."

Once Eric laid down, Lux instinctively scooted over to his side, wrapping her arm around his waist, his arm behind her neck pulling her closer to him. Both relaxing and taking comfort in how naturally they fit together.

Truth be told, even though they had spent the night together on his couch once before, this was completely different. This was a whole new level. They had each secretly worried that this would prove somewhat awkward initially. The last thing either of them wanted was a repeat of the night they had spent at that bed and breakfast.

"When I am with you…" Lux said, breaking the silence as she twisted the hem of his shirt absentmindedly between her fingers, "I forget for a little while. When I am in here with you everything else just melts away." Lux stated quietly, her head resting on his chest.

Eric ran his fingers through her hair, contemplating her words. "Good, because I don't like it when you are hurting, and you've been hurting a lot lately. The Lux I saw tonight is the Lux I want to see more of…and I am going to do everything I can to keep her around."

Sitting up, Lux leaned forward, their lips connecting briefly. "Well, she thanks you for that."

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"Can someone turn the sun off?" Lux groaned, pulling her pillow over her eyes.

Tossing her arm beside her, she was surprised when her hand hit the empty mattress.

_Where was Eric? And what time was it?_

Pulling herself up, Lux sat in the middle of the bed, looking around groggily for a clock, but settled on using her phone instead. Taping the screen, Lux exhaled loudly "8:30am? Really?" She shouted as she curled up in the middle of the bed, throwing the covers over herself, trying to block out the light, and the annoyingly delicious smell of bacon and coffee coming from the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Lux felt the covers being pulled back as she squinted against the onslaught of the sun. Eric laughed, shaking his head in amusement.

"You're cute when you wake up, you know that?" Eric stated playfully, pointing to her wild hair that fell in every direction on the bed.

Lux stuck her tongue out at him. "It's criminal that you are up this early when you don't have to be…and what's worse, you're too perky." Lux groaned. It was too warm and comfortable in his bed to even consider getting up. Motioning to the mattress beside her, Lux worked her best pout. "We don't have anywhere to be today, lay back down with me."

"I'd love to, but I've got stuff cooking, and if I don't get back out there it's going to burn."

"Ehh, I've had worse." Lux shrugged, thinking back to those days in the beginning when Cate had tried to make breakfast that entire first week, burning everything she touched until Lux assured her that cereal and a banana would be just fine.

"Well, coffee is ready whenever you are." Eric smiled, leaning in to kiss Lux as she quickly covered her mouth, shaking her head..

"Morning breath!" Lux exclaimed, her voice muffled, as she jumped out of the bed and ran to the bathroom.

Eric shook his head and laughed as he made his way back to the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Lux emerged from the bathroom; teeth brushed, face washed, and hair pulled back in to a messy ponytail. Eric was struck by how naturally beautiful she was. Pulling her into a kiss, Eric could taste the mint on her lips and smell his soap on her skin.

_Dangerous combination!_

Lux pulled away after a few moments, heading over to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup of the steaming black liquid.

Even though Lux had seen his kitchen countless times before, he still felt the need to apologize for its lack of proper furnishings. "As you can tell, home décor isn't a top priority for me."

"Hey, I've definitely seen less in a place. It doesn't really bother me at all." Lux said pushing herself up on to the counter as if to emphasize her point.

Sitting on the counter, sipping her coffee, she watched Eric as he cooked, noticing how perfectly his t-shirt hugged his broad shoulders as he moved around the stove.

Lux shook her head, trying to dispel her thoughts.

All of a sudden it was really hot in the kitchen.

As if he could read her mind, Eric turned around, a wicked smile pulling at his lips, as he walked towards her. Stepping between her legs, his arms snaked around her waist. His lips found her neck in a slow trek towards her mouth. Lux leaned in to him, angling her head for better access, getting lost in the moment.

Nothing…

Else…

Mattered…

Except for her cell phone that decided to ring at that very moment.

Someone had the worst timing.

Eric pushed away from the counter; away from her, to finish making breakfast.

Glancing at the screen, Lux rolled her eyes, clearing her throat.

_What a buzz kill!_

"Hey Cate!" Lux answered with a little too much enthusiasm. She could tell Eric was laughing at her by the way his shoulders shook slightly.

She threw a dishrag at the back of his head.

"Yes, I'm fine. No, Tasha stayed at her place last night…she's doing better, I promise…yes, I will call her…actually," Lux said as she pulled the phone away from her ear and looked to the screen once again, "she's actually calling in right now. I promise I will call you later…ok, I will…love you too."

Lux quickly flashed over, worried for a second that something might be wrong. Ever since that day with Gavin, whenever Tasha's name showed on her caller-ID, Lux found herself holding her breath.

"Tasha?" Lux questioned before sighing in relief.

"Hey, are you ok…I can come over, it will only take a couple minutes to get there." Lux hoped off the counter as Eric looked to her, concerned.

Lux stopped abruptly, however. "You want to come here?" Lux questioned, surprised, as she looked to Eric who nodded without hesitation. _God she loved that about him_. "Wait, you know I'm not at Cate's…or Baze's, right? Ok, yea sure…see you in a few minutes."

Hanging up her phone, Lux looked to Eric with a shocked expression. "Umm, she's been having a hard time staying at her place, but she actually said she wanted to come here."

To say she was surprised would be a huge understatement. Lux and Eric both knew how Tasha felt about their relationship, so for Tasha to come out here…well, it was kind of a big deal.

"Do you mind?" Lux asked as she looked to Eric who was piling bacon and eggs on to large plates and putting bread in the toaster. "I know we were supposed to…"

Eric walked to her, silencing her with a quick kiss. "Of course I don't mind. This is a good sign, I think."

"I hope so." Lux exclaimed nervously as Eric kissed her forehead.

Lux looked around the apartment, suddenly worried. They were both still wearing their pajamas, almost like a weird repeat of the last time she had been here when she found them the last time Lux had stayed the night. But as far as bedclothes went, sweats and t-shirts were pretty harmless.

_Maybe I should change?_

_Too late!_

A knock sounded at the door as Eric smiled reassuringly. Taking a deep breath, Lux opened the door, stepping aside so Tasha could enter.

"I know it's early, and I'm sorry if I'm intruding…" Tasha exclaimed as she looked around the room ready to turn and leave, second-guessing her ridiculous reasons, or lack there-of, for coming over.

"No, wait!" Lux said as she quickly shut the door before her friend could leave. "Tasha, of course you're not intruding."

"Are you sure?" Tasha asked as she looked sheepishly from Lux to Eric.

"Hungry?" Eric asked, motioning to the food that was piled on the counter.

"Umm, sure." Tasha said as she slowly removed her coat and scarf, searching Lux's face for assurance that everything was ok.

Lux nodded, laughing as she led her best friend in to the tiny kitchen. They grabbed the few plates that Eric had as he pulled the butter and jelly out of the fridge, setting them on the counter; he waited for the girls to get their food.

He was suddenly glad he had decided to make extra food. For as small as they were, they sure could eat a lot he thought as he laughed quietly to himself.

By the time they were finished, all the food was gone, and the awkward tension had all but disappeared. Eric excused himself to go get dressed before walking out of the bedroom and grabbing his car keys.

"I've got a couple things I need to get at the store, I won't be too long. Do you guys want anything while I'm out?" Eric asked, shrugging on his coat as Lux and Tasha sat on the couch laughing about some story from when they were younger.

With no specific requests, Eric left the girls to themselves, relieved that Tasha seemed to be in better spirits then the last time he had seen her.

"He didn't leave because of me, did he?" Tasha asked quietly once the door shut behind him.

"What? No, he really doesn't have any food in here. What we ate for breakfast was literally all the food that was in his fridge. I mean, I think he is trying to give us some time alone, but its fine." Lux shrugged as she turned to her friend.

The marks on Tasha's wrist and neck had since faded, but a few deep welts remained, the black eye she had was now reduced to a sallow color, but was much easier to cover up with the right makeup.

Lux smiled when she thought back to the first day Tasha returned to school after the attack. Cate had let her stay out while the swelling around her eye was still noticeable. Not wanting to have to explain the markings or have to lie about their origins, Cate had helped Tasha cover up the visible signs with makeup until you couldn't even tell anything was wrong.

"I have to say, I am surprised that you came over here, though. Not in a bad way." Lux corrected herself. "Definitely in a good way. I just know how you feel about all of this…"

"I just…I kept thinking about Gavin, and how we used to all be together, and it was the four of us against the world; you know, me and Gavin, you and Bug. We were all that we had. But…at the first sign of things becoming normal for us; Bug leaves, he just ditches, and Gavin wants to gain something from all of it. He was so different, Lux. I've never seen that look in his eyes before." Tasha whispered as she settled further in to the couch.

"I just can't believe he did that to you."

"But it just made me realize that I was being sort of unfair to you about this whole thing with you and Eric. I mean, I don't like the lying, especially to Cate and Baze because they are the closest thing I have to a real family, and I really want them to like me. But after realizing how poisonous some of the people in our past have been, it seems kind of silly to criticize what you have based on what others believe is right and what's wrong."

Tasha's hands clenched in nervous agitation as she made herself continue.

"I'm sorry about leaving after you told me about Trey. I had so many things running through my mind; I wasn't sure what to do. I was upset that you hadn't told me before and then all I could think about was that, no matter how short of a period of time it was, I had lived in the same house as that man. Yea, I was upset that you told Eric first, but after everything that has happened, it's kind of made me realize that if he was the person you felt comfortable telling that to, the important thing is that you did tell someone."

Lux started to speak, but Tasha stopped her.

"Wait let me finish. It's still really illegal, what you two are doing, but after what Eric has done for you, and what he did for me with Gavin, it's not so black and white anymore. I know this really doesn't change anything for you, but I just wanted to let you know that I get it, ok? We were never taken care of the way the law said we would be, in foster care, so what's a little law-breaking of our own from time to time, right?" Tasha smiled as she tried to lighten the mood.

"That means a lot, Tash! It has killed me more than anything how we've sort of grown apart from all of this. And I know I said it a while back, but I still promise that I am not going to ask you to cover for me ever again. From now on, this is only on me and Eric. It was really wrong for me to do that to you before."

"Yea well, I know this must suck for you two as well. I mean, he's not even YOUR teacher. If you were just a few years older and out of school, it wouldn't even be an issue." Tasha laughed as Lux rolled her eyes in response.

"Tell me about it." Not wanting to spend the entire day rehashing old wounds, Lux changed the subject. "I've got an idea! How about we get out of here for a little bit?"

"What about Eric?" Tasha hesitated.

"I'll text him and let him know we'll be gone. Believe me, he'll be glad we are out. I'm not trying to champion him to you or anything, but he has been pretty upset about how his involvement with me has affected us." Lux cautioned as she stood up from the couch.

"He does seem more invested then I originally thought. It took a lot of guts for him to do what he did when Gavin showed back up. He could have gotten into a lot of trouble." Tasha exclaimed, her voice lowering though it was just the two of them in the small apartment.

Eric had risked a lot that day, Lux knew. "Honestly, I think that is just who he is. Even if nothing was going on between us, I think he would have done the same thing regardless."

"I believe it, now." Tasha smiled as she pushed her friend away from the couch. "Come on, go get dressed. Let's blow this popsicle stand. We've got lost time to make up for!"

**I'm going to try something new, tell me if you like this idea or not.**

**Here's a sneak peak at the next chapter!**

**Vintage costumes & wigs**

**A night out on the town for Lux, Tasha, and Eric**

**Someone's coming to visit Eric**


End file.
